Twist Of Fate
by Jessi84
Summary: This story is partially based on the movie Jack&Sarah. There's most definitely Horatio/Marisol implied, but not absolutely explicit. It is centered on Horatio and there will be at least DuCaine friendship..maybe more :P
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I would like to thank my wonderful beta Tiff for her work and Melanie to help me with the one or other chapter in the beginning.

This story is (what I think) different to the other ones you've read from me and is in no way connected to any of them. The plot, especially the beginning, is based on the movie "Jack & Sarah" so yes, Horatio probably is a bit out of character here but that's what I wanted and had to do to develop my idea.

I'll forewarn you, that there will be a lot of drama, but also (what I hope) funny and easy going moments. There will be lot ups and downs, but I do hope that you'll stick through with me.

The characters don't belong to me (as always) just the original ones... to be exact one original is all mine.

**Twist Of Fate**

_**Chapter 1**_

Horatio was torn between fear and hope, while he was sitting in the waiting area of the operating room. The morning had started with a pleasant surprise for him, when Marisol had woken him, because her water had broken. Of course he had been nervous, since it was his first child, but they had made it to the hospital without further problems.

No, the problems had actually started in the delivery room and those problems were now the reason for his despair. For more than 15 minutes, he and the others hadn't heard anything about Marisol and the baby and the lack of knowledge was about to drive him nuts.

His in-laws had arrived the minute Marisol had been wheeled into the OR for an emergency C-section and now they were waiting with their son-in-law. "I'm sure everything is going to be fine, Horatio," Marta Delko tried to reassure him, though she too was anxious about her daughter's condition.

Horatio just nodded silently and started to nibble on his thump. He wanted to know what was going on behind the closed door. He wanted, no he needed to know that both of them were fine.

"I called Eric and he told me, that he's already on the way," Pavel Delko appeared and put his cell phone back into his pants pocket. "I'm sure they'll tell us something as soon as possible, Horatio. If something bad has happened and we pray to god that it didn't, they would've told us," he sat down next to his son in-law. His daughter and the lieutenant had only been married for a year now, but the man was part of the Delko family without any questions. He had helped Marisol through her chemotherapy and had given her hope for living and for that, Pavel would always be grateful.

"Yeah," Horatio mumbled and felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He needed to stay calm for Marisol and the baby, but all he wanted was to enter the OR to see what was going on there. Sighing, he looked down and ran a hand through his already rumpled hair. "It's just…why is nobody coming? Why don't we get answers to our questions?" he asked no one in particular and felt so helpless. He wasn't used to waiting, he was used to taking matters in his own hands and now he had given the life of his wife and child into strangers' hands.

"We will ask the next doctor we see," Marta said and looked at her husband, the fear showing clearly on her face.

"Right, we will-," Pavel started and was interrupted when the door was opened and a doctor entered the waiting area.

"Are you relatives of Marisol Delko Caine?"

Horatio looked up into a serious face and nodded quickly. Finally they would get some answers. "Yes. Yes, I'm her husband and these are her parents," he said and stood up in order to greet the doctor.

"Mr. Caine," the doctor acknowledged and took off the still bloodied gloves. "My name is Dr. Steven Brown, I was the surgeon in your wife's surgery. Let me first tell you my congratulations, to a very healthy, crying daughter," he smiled faintly.

Horatio's eyes lit up and quickly turned around to his in-laws who lay in each other's arms. "This is wonderful news doctor," he said and took a deep breath; the burden was visibly lifted from his shoulders.

"Yes, she's actually being checked out by our pediatrician while we're talking, but from what I saw and heard, she was doing more than fine."

Horatio nodded and absorbed this wonderful news. A daughter! This was fantastic. Marisol had wished for a daughter since the day they had found about her pregnancy and now her dreams came true. She had also named the baby from the beginning and Horatio hadn't minded at all. "What about my wife? May I see her?"

The change of air didn't get unnoticed by the persons present.

"Mr. Caine," Dr. Brown sighed and let his head fell. "There was a complication during the surgery."

"Complication?" Horatio stilled immediately and had a very bad feeling in his stomach. "What do you mean? What's wrong with Marisol?"

"You know that we had to perform a C-Section because of the bleeding? The reason for that was a disruption in your wife's uterus. She had lost a lot of blood during the surgery and when we finally closed the disruption, another broke free and was bleeding even harder than the actual one. Mr. Caine…you have no idea how sorry I am, but we couldn't save your wife's life. She went into a cardiac arrest and we tried to revive her, but…," he slowly shook his head, before he continued, "we couldn't. Due to the already made efforts while the delivery and the huge amount of blood loss, her heart was too weak. I'm sorry, Mr. Caine, but your wife is gone."

Numbly, Horatio looked at the doctor in front of him. _Your wife is gone. Your wife is gone._ The sentence was repeated over and over again in his head, but it didn't make any sense. How could Marisol be dead? She'd been fine this morning. She'd been looking forward to the delivery, because she 'wanted to hold her little visitor in her arms'.

A loud sob and a 'Nooooo' from Marta brought him back to the here and now and caused him to take a step back. "No," he said quietly and shook his head.

"Mr. Caine, I wish I could do something, but we couldn't save her," the doctor repeated again, because even though he was used to such reactions, it still was the worst part of his job. Telling relatives that their loved ones had died was the hardest part and it never got easier.

"No," Horatio said again and took step after step till he turned around to go.

"Mr. Caine, Mr. Caine," the doctor called, "your daughter, what about your daughter?"

But Horatio didn't listen. His eyes were fixed on the elevator. He didn't see his parents-in-law. He didn't see them crying or watching him.

"You need to stay, Mr. Caine," the doctor tried it again but to no use.

All he felt was the numbness claiming him. All he felt was the need to leave this place.

Nervously, Eric Delko stepped out of the elevator and stopped short when he saw his boss walking up to him. "H, is everything okay? What about Marisol and the baby? Are they alright?"

Horatio just passed by and entered the elevator with a stoic face.

"H?" Eric asked alarmed by this and looked between his parents and Horatio. "Horatio what's-, " he started, but the door had already closed.

In trance, Horatio pressed the down button and leaned against the cool wall. He needed to get away from here. That was all that mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for your wonderful reviews, they practically made my day. **

**Chapter 2**

Absently, Horatio sat in one of his chairs outside on his patio and stared at the sea. He had no recollection of driving to his beach house, but yesterday he had arrived here. All he knew was, that he had gotten into his car, had started the engine and drove away. He didn't even know if he had had an accident or not, just the fact that there was neither damage nor blood on the bumper, told him that he hadn't.

To be honest, he didn't care at all. All he wanted was to forget. Forget everything. Who he was, where he was, why he was here…he didn't want to remember those things. He wanted to be alone, he wanted to stay here, and he wanted…Marisol back.

A sob erupted from his throat and quickly he took another sip of some kind of liquor he had found in the kitchen cabinet, among other alcoholic drinks. He didn't want to feel the pain, but make it vanish with a lot of alcohol.

Again he took a sip and started to feel tired. Good. The only time he had found some sleep had been yesterday night, when he had passed out after drinking a whole bottle of scotch. Sleep didn't come easy, never had actually, but now he needed sleep desperately, to escape reality.

Broken. That was the first word that came into Eric's mind when he saw his brother-in-law sitting on the patio when he walked around the house in order to find a way in, because the front door was locked. _"These days every one of us is broken,"_ he thought sadly while he was standing on the white sand, not knowing what he should do or say to the motionless figure on the chair. The last days had been like living in a haze. His parents and his sisters had been crying all of the time, including him. But what had hit him the hardest was the fact that Horatio had ran away. Not caring for his newborn child.

Eric squinted with his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he started to walk again, taking the few steps upon the patio. Quietly he sat down next to his boss, colleague, friend and brother-in-law, letting his gaze wander around the deserted beach. Since Horatio hadn't been at home and hadn't answered his cell-phone, there was only one place the team could have think of where he would hide. It had taken a lot to convince Alexx to let Eric drive out there. This was a family thing, even if Alexx was the mother hen of their team.

After a few seconds, Eric said, "It's time to go home." Still, he didn't look at Horatio, giving the man a bit of privacy. "We're waiting for you, so is your daughter."

Horatio didn't even consider the idea of talking to Eric. Instead he just shrugged and played with the bottle in his hands. There was no place called home. There was just a space of emptiness. This was everything that was left. Emptiness. Loneliness. Sadness. Pain. And the question of why.

Getting no response, Eric sighed. "Look, we all know it's not easy," he said quietly, leaning back in the seat. "But you can't hide forever. There are a lot of things you have to take care of."

"Leave," he said quietly. He didn't want to see anyone. That's why he was here, he wanted to be alone. Just him, the beach, the sea and something that made the pain go away, something that filled the hole inside of him.

"And then?" Eric replied, not surprised by Horatio's stubbornness. But he had a mission and didn't want to fail.

"Never come back again." With that, Horatio took another sip and closed his eyes.

Eric shook his head. "That's not what I meant."

"But I did," Horatio grumbled. He didn't want to have this conversation. He didn't want to have _any_ conversation right now.

"I won't leave. Not without you," Eric clarified, facing him. Then he added, "The...wake...it's the day after tomorrow. We are waiting for you." He used the same words as before. "It's your duty to be there."

Once again Horatio shrugged. He didn't care about duty. He didn't care about the others. Couldn't they understand that he wanted be alone? Was it so hard to understand?? "But still, I won't. Go, Eric. Just leave me alone," he told him and didn't even bother to open his eyes.

Eric got slightly agitated. "You're her husband, there's no question for you not to go there. Marisol...," he hesitated, because it still hurt to say her name, "…didn't deserve that."

"No she didn't deserve to die," Horatio raised his voice, and looked at his friend with piercing eyes. "She didn't deserve to die after all we've been through. She deserved to have a wonderful life. And I don't deserve to be a widower. But I can't change it, Eric! You can't change it and now clear off!"

Biting his lower lip, Eric thought for a few seconds and then stood up. "With all due respect, but you're an idiot. I can think of some even nastier words but I don't want to use them. All Mari wanted, was to have this baby. Her baby. Yours. She gave her life for Elena. And all you can do is run away and drink. Maybe it's better if you don't come back at all. At least we are caring for the little one." He knew these were harsh words, but he had to say this. Slowly he walked to the railing, feeling the wind on his face. "You didn't even take a look."

He could only repeat his demand with a cold voice. "Leave Eric and never come back." With that, he stood up, swayed till he found his balance and entered his house. As good as he could he closed the patio door behind him with a shut and walked to the couch. There he let himself fall onto it and the moment his head hit the cushion, he passed out.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know this is not a long chapter, but I had to stop it here. There may be a tissue warning… otherwise I would really like to ask you to review. This is highly appreciated. **

**Chapter 3**

The weather was beautiful today. The sun was shining, there were no clouds and a slight breeze was enough to prevent a stuffy air. It seemed like heaven was giving its best on this sad day, to guide her soul into the right direction.

Horatio was standing in the shadow of a tree, far enough of not to be seen, but near enough to hear the priests words. He was dressed all in black, his prominent sunglasses neatly in their usual place and his hands held two long stemmed roses – a white and a red one. Together they meant unity, alone they meant love and faithfulness; three things that he had promised Marisol just a year ago and now it was over.

The priest was talking about the life Marisol had, how beautiful it had been, even though she had been ill. He talked about the second chance she had received and how she had embraced it fully. He talked about the person Marisol Delko Caine had been, how caring she was, always thinking about others. About her dreams, her wishes, her goals of life. He mentioned the wonderful gift she had given the world before her death and that she was now looking down at all of them, without fear, without pain but full of love. Death wasn't the end, but only a new beginning of a different life.

Horatio took a deep breath and unnoticed by him, a lonely tear rolled down his cheek. She didn't deserve to lie there. If one of them deserved it, then it was him and only him. She was still so young, full of life and now she was gone. Forever. She'd never come back. Ever again. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that everyone he loved was taken away from him. It wasn't fair that they couldn't spend their lives together. It wasn't fair that the phrase 'till death do us part' had come far too early for both of them. She had deserved more. So much more.

When the speech ended, a small orchestra started to play her favorite song 'Nearer my God to Thee' and it broke Horatio's heart all over again. She had loved the song in the movie Titanic, one of her favorite movies and Horatio couldn't count how often they had watched it and every time when this song was being played at the end of the movie, Marisol had cried. He had asked her once why she still watched this movie, when it made her so sad and her answer had struck him. 'It's because of this love story, Horatio. Two people barely knowing each other fell in love, giving their lives for each other. It reminds me of the good in life, it reminds me of us.'

When the finale tone had been played, the priest read a short prayer and then gave his condolence to the family. Eric and his sisters were standing next to their parents, while the team was standing on the opposite side of the grave. He also recognized some of Marisol's friends. They were all dressed in black and Horatio could hear them crying.

Ever so slowly, the whole group gave their farewell to Marisol and walked away. This was the moment Horatio had been waiting for and he carefully made his way to the open grave.

"I can't believe he isn't here," Eric exclaimed, his eyes red and puffy. "He's her husband. It's his duty to be here, to say goodbye to her. How can be so selfish? So rude??" He was beside himself. He had never expected such a behavior coming from the one Horatio Caine. "I'm going to teach-," he started, but was interrupted by Alexx.

"Eric, look," she said and pointed to a spot behind his shoulder.

Still angry, Eric turned around.

"He's here…," Alexx said quietly, while she watched Horatio crouching down near the grave. "He's here…"

"Marisol…," Horatio started softly and closed his eyes. He had never been good at this. Neither when his mother died, nor when Raymond died. "I'm so sorry, that I didn't come sooner…I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to save you. Instead I told you that everything would be fine. I'm incredible sorry, that I lied to you," he sobbed. "I wish it would be me..I'd give everything for that, please believe me. What am I going to do without you? You were my anchor, the one that gave me a reason to live…I'm lost without you…," he whispered and rested his forehead against the marble gravestone.

"You rescued me from the darkness surrounding me. Your light guided me…showed me a way to embrace life and take chances. Please come back, Marisol…please…," he pleaded and knew that this was only wishful thinking. "I love you so much…and it hurts…," he sighed and wiped the tears away. "I miss you…your smile, your laugh, the way you looked at me…your kindness, your spirit, the feeling when I touched you…I…miss _you_. And I want you back. All I want is having you back in my arms," he let some tears fall before he angrily wiped them away.

Carefully he kissed the stone and stood up. Slowly he tossed the flowers onto the coffin and bowed his head. "I love you, Marisol. Always have, always will."

Silently they watched him walking away and Eric tried to go after him, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"We need to leave him alone, sweetie."

"But Alexx, it's…it's…," Eric tried to argue, but in fact he didn't know what to say.

"I know…I know," she sighed and patted his arm. "Believe me, there's nothing I'd rather do than kicking his sorry backside, but we need to give him space at least for now. He needs time to think it through, to grief."

"But what about Elena? She needs him. He's her father."

"Right now, she's better with your parents," it hurt her to say this out loud, but it was the truth. Horatio wasn't able to take care of her right now. "Let's go to the others."

Eric was in two minds about either following Horatio or not. But seeing Alexx' face, he knew he'd better follow her orders, even though he didn't like them. He wanted to do something, _anything_ to stop this situation. In the end, he nodded and followed Alexx to his parents and the team which had waited for them.

Horatio on the other side drove back to his beach house to clean it up and afterwards, driving back to their…no…his house.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When Horatio opened his eyes two days later, there was one thing he wanted to see when he turned around in bed. He wanted to see Marisol, either being still asleep or already awake and watching him. She had done that a lot and he hadn't always caught her doing so. But the photos she had taken of him and showed him later, had been enough evidence. She had always told him, that he looked so different while he slept, younger and peaceful. Maybe even more vulnerable, but she had loved this side of him. He had just blushed and ducked his head to hide his embarrassment, while she had laughed and kissed him.

Now, all he wanted was to relive such a moment. He wanted to feel her fingers carefully running through his hair. He wanted to feel her breath against his neck, her arms around him. He wanted to feel her lips on his skin and her smile when he shivered thanks to her touch. He wanted to turn around and breathe in her perfume, feel the warmth of her body. He wanted to chide her, because of her cold feet and he wanted to see the mocking glare he got in response. He wanted his wife back. And knowing that this would never happen again made him feel incredible sad.

With a sigh he turned around and kept his eyes closed. There was no need to see what he already knew, namely that the other side of his bed was deserted. So it was a big surprise, when he heard a noise that didn't belong into the room. Confused he furrowed his brows and thought he must have been mistaken, but when he heard it again, he carefully opened his eyes and was stunned. Slowly he sat up and looked down onto his little guest.

Elena was wide awake and kicked her feet, while she tried to focus on the other person in bed.

Confused Horatio looked around, but there was no one but them in the bedroom. Gulping, he took a deep breath and carefully reached to her. She was so tiny, so brittle and yet…so beautiful. "Hey there…," he said softly and smiled when her head turned into the direction of his voice. Hesitantly he ran his thumb over her tiny hand and held back a sob when she grabbed it. He had never felt such a feeling before and the way she looked at him with her blue eyes was overwhelming. "Hey," he said again and softly stroked her head which was covered with a brown floccus. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, though he didn't expect an answer.

Elena just kicked her feet again and when Horatio touched her cheek she immediately turned her head to his finger and tried to suck on it.

In awe he let her suck his finger and felt his eyes begin to sting. This was absolutely incredible. "It's me…Daddy…"

***

Standing in the doorway, Marta listened and watched in silence the scene between Horatio and Elena and immediately felt her heart ache. It had hit her hard, that Horatio hadn't been at the wake and at first she had been shocked when she hadn't seen see him at the funeral, but Alexx had told her later on that her son-in-law however had indeed been at the service. She also remembered the words her good friend had told her about him and that Horatio still had to deal with the death of his best friend Tim Speedle, who had died just little over 2 years ago. Tim had been a friend of the Delko family as well and so Marta could understand Horatio in some way. But yet she had felt slightly mad about him, for his poor attempt to run away and that he left his family, especially his daughter, back alone.

Now when she saw how gently he touched the infant and how he spoke with her...all of her doubts were gone. Horatio would be a caring and loving father. Sighing, she realized that this had been the exact words from Marisol when she had told her parents about the pregnancy. Marta smiled softly and still stood there in awe. First she had come here to get some new clothes for Elena this morning, since the parents-to-be had bought so many things a baby needed, including tons of dresses, too. When she had seen Horatio's car in the driveway, Marta had gulped hard, not knowing how the man would react meeting them. But her fears had quickly vanished, when she'd found him asleep in the bedroom. In an instant, she had laid the tiny bundle next to him and had decided to leave the two alone; praying to god that Horatio wouldn't do something stupid again.

Coming back and now standing here, she was glad that she had left Elena with him, even if Pavel still wasn't too happy about it. He still was very angry with Horatio and she would have to talk to her husband as soon as possible. Even if she wanted to watch father and daughter much longer, she knew she had to do something. So she cleared her throat and slowly peeked inside the room. "She's beautiful, isn't she? Just like her mother," she said softly so she wouldn't scare both of them while she stepped in.

Nevertheless Horatio cringed when he heard Marta's voice and carefully turned his head towards her. "Yeah...she is...," he agreed and then looked down at Elena again. "Do you...do you want to take her back?" he asked insecurely, not knowing why Marta was here in his home. It wasn't that she had never visited them, but mostly she had visited her daughter of course and not him specifically.

"Why should I?" she asked back curiously.

Horatio shrugged and continued to stroke his daughter's fingers. "Because I was a bad father...," he then said and felt miserable about his behavior towards his daughter.

Carefully, she sat down next to them and nodded. "Yes, you were. But now, you're the best father Elena can get. You love her, that's all that matters." She took one foot of her granddaughter in her hand and started to caress it. "She should stay here. Where she belongs."

He seriously doubted that he was the best father for Elena, he really did. "But I don't know...how...," he sighed and bowed his head. In the morning, after he had found Elena, he had almost been overchallenged. He had wanted to have a shower, but wasn't sure if he could leave her alone. The next thing had been a change of diapers, which hadn't worked as well as he had wanted to. "Let's face it Marta, I have no idea when it comes to babies...it..it wasn't planned like that," he admitted to her.

Looking at his face, she saw the uncertainness in it and she drew nearer to him. "No, it wasn't planned this way," she confirmed sadly. "But that doesn't mean you can't learn to take care of her, does it? It won't be easy, that's for sure. But we're a family. We can do it. So you can." There was no way she would give Elena away, but it was clear to her that Horatio had to accept responsibility for his child. "Elena has already lost her mother...," she hesitated shortly, "don't let her lose her father, too."

"No, I won't," he shook his head and smiled sadly at the infant in his arms. "I already love her too much to let that happen." It had only taken Elena a moment, a second to claim her father's love for her and now she wasn't willing to give it back again and in truth, Horatio didn't want her to. "I just don't know what to do, you know? It was…Marisol...who had read all the books, had searched in the Internet for tips...and asked you for advice."

"And now it's you asking me," Marta nodded, tapping him slightly on the shoulder to give him some kind of reassurance. "I've raised four children, there's nothing you couldn't handle, believe me. Speaking of," she frowned, "...okay, you can't feed her like it's planned by nature...but even that can be managed. Alexx bought very good baby-food." Luckily she had some of it with her. Being a mother herself she knew better than not to leave the house without any baby-food. "And that's what we're doing next. The little angel here needs to be fed every two or three hours even though that will be changing soon. So...ready for the battle?" she teased him slightly, hoping to lighten up his mood a bit.

"I already had a battle with a diaper today and I nearly lost it," he told her and gave her something that looked like a smile. "I'm not sure if I'm up to another," he continued, but his daughter had other ideas. Suddenly she made a face and told him very clearly that she was hungry now. At first, Horatio looked shocked, not being sure if he had hurt her accidentally, but when he saw Marta's grin, he rolled his eyes. "I guess...it's too late to run again, huh?"

"Don't even think about it, Mr. Caine," the older woman told him with a stern look on her face, but then smiled mildly. "I'm in no position to say 'I know what you're going through', still I lost my daughter, too. The grief is overwhelming, but it will go away. You have to believe that." Being catholic, she had no doubt about it. "Mari is gone...but...she left us something very special and we have to give our best to take care of Elena."

"Yes...you're right." Elena was everything that he had left of his wife, in Elena a part of her would always be alive, even now. "I'm so sorry I ran away, Marta. You have no idea of how sorry I am..."

Shaking her head, she reached for his cheek. "Now's not the time to discuss that. I'm not saying that we...Pavel and me...will have a serious talk with you about that. But right now we have an urgency. At least according to your daughter," she explained and looked at the loud crying infant. "Shhh, Sweetie...," Marta mumbled, gently stroking the head with the dark hair. "Daddy will give you something to eat, real soon. Everything is alright now."

"Okay, thank you Marta... I mean...thank you that you took her while...," he shook his head. Marta was right. This was neither the right time, nor the right place to talk about it. "Then, let's go to the kitchen, shall we? I don't want my daughter getting starved or something."

***

Twenty minutes later, Horatio sat on the couch again and watched his daughter while he fed her. It was fascinating for him, seeing her like this. Marta had explained how he should mix the dried milk and of what he had to pay attention too before and after the feeding. "She has quite an appetite," he smiled, "must be a Caine thing," he added amused.

Marta sat proudly next to her son-in-law and nodded. "Watch out for her head and don't let her drink too much at a time. You're doing fine. One step at a time. And oh, yes...she's a good eater. We've already noticed that."

"Well she wants to be a big girl in the future," Horatio smiled and gave his daughter a chance to breath. "Don't be so hasty, Ellie," he chided her lovingly. "What about the team? Have they seen her already?" he looked at Marta when he continued the feeding.

"Yes, they have. Eric made sure of that. He loves to be an uncle. And everyone asked if they can help in any way. I found that very nice of them. You have good friends, Horatio."

"That I have," he agreed wholeheartedly and nodded. "I guess Alexx has already embraced her in the family," he chuckled. This would be his Alexx. Sighing he brought his task back into focus and shook his head when he noticed that the bottle was already empty. "My...that's my daughter."

"Alexx didn't want to give her back," Marta chuckled as she remembered the first meeting of the two ladies. Then she looked at the bottle. "I think that's enough. You have to watch out if she drinks properly. After that, lift her up carefully, put her on your shoulder. So that she can burp up. But you shouldn't forget to put a cloth under it. It's safer that way."

"Yeah, for my clothes obviously," he laughed and nodded a thanks when Marta handed him a cloth. He quickly put it on his shoulder and with a little help from grandma, he positioned Elena over his shoulder, so her stomach was resting against his chest. Gently he patted her on the back and rubbed it in a circular motion. "Give Daddy a burp," he talked to her and grinned widely when he heard the specific sound. "Good girl," he praised her proudly.

"Yes, that she is," Marta confirmed, touching Elena's cheek gently. "If she gets sleepy, you put her in her bed on her back, not her stomach. Be sure that she is tucked in safely, but watch out that she doesn't sweat. Okay?" She knew that these were many advices for one day, but she had faith in Horatio. "If anything comes up, you can call us or Alexx anytime, 24/7. Have you...," she wanted to know, "...have you looked for a Nanny already? How about your work?" There were many things that still needed to be clarified, even if the time seemed wrong to start talking about it.

Horatio tried his best to store these things in his memory, because he knew they were very important and he hoped that he wouldn't forget anything. "Uhm, to be honest, no...I haven't," he answered and sighed. "I...I didn't have the head to do that...I must admit. I..we...we planned that Marisol would stay at home, while I would go to work like always and," he rubbed his forehead, "well...I still have some vacation time left and...I think I'll stay at home with her for the next two weeks, afterwards...I have no idea...", he not only sounded a bit helpless, but actually felt helpless. "To be honest, I don't even know where to look after a Nanny and if I can trust her enough to stay with Ellie."

Marta nodded in understanding. "If you like...I can take her while you're at work. But you should reduce your overtime." She knew from Marisol and even Eric that Horatio tended to work long hours. "It's not good to work for so long. Not if you have a little one at home."

Slightly embarrassed, Horatio ducked his head. His family knew him far too well for his liking, but he knew that Marta was right. "I know and I will do that....I will talk to the chief and explain the situation to him." He and the chief got along well, as long as they didn't argue about new equipment for the lab. "I'm sure that we will find a way. The team doesn't need me as much as it used to, they've grown up and even Ryan is slowly but surely finding his place." He was certain that his team could manage when he didn't work overtime, or at least not so often. "You would take her? Really?"

"I'm shocked that you even dare to ask," she smiled at him. "Of course I would take her. Our Little Miss Sunshine. She's so lovely." Again, she stroked the tiny head with the palm of her hand. "It's our responsibility. Think about it, it's your choice." Looking at her watch, she said: "I better go now. Pavel is going to be worried. Time went by faster than I thought."

"I will definitely do that, Marta. Thank you for the offer," Horatio nodded and stood up with her. "Please tell Pavel that...oh well...I don't even know what you could tell him. I will give you a call when I need your help and when I made my decision. Thanks for coming and helping me with this little sleepyhead," he grinned and walked her to the door.

Giving first Horatio a quick kiss on his cheek, after she had made him to bend a bit down, Marta placed a kiss on Elena's dark hair. "Vaya con dios," she whispered into her ear and then she turned to step out of the house. First she would call her husband to tell him that everything was fine with her and then Eric to do the same. But then something else came into her mind and she turned around. "Uhm , we...we placed all of the presents into the nursery and...we still have some flowers and greeting cards at home. If you want to, we can bring those over to you," she informed him, but didn't need an answer right now. "Just for your information. It doesn't matter right now, I think."

"That's...that's fine. Thank you. I will call you about that, too," he smiled. "See you soon Marta and drive carefully please."

"Will do," she nodded, letting out a sigh of relieve as she walked to her car. "See you, Horatio and Elena," she waved towards them, got into the car and drove away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It was the next day when Horatio and Elena sat on the couch, or rather Horatio was sitting, while Elena was lying on it. It was late afternoon and this meant playtime for them. Horatio loved the time when his daughter was wide awake.

"You're the best, aren't you? Yes you are," he cooed and gently nudged her nose. "You're the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen," he told her affectionately and leaned down to kiss her forehead. He loved the smell of her, it was so unique. "Do you know what we're going to do now? We gonna have a bath," he told her and even though he knew that she wouldn't give him an answer, he didn't care. He knew that it was very important to talk with babies and he enjoyed that more than he had imagined.

The little cooing sounds she was making were music to his ears. "Nana told me that she didn't bathe you, while you were with her," he explained her and softly stroked her head. "I'm sure you will like it," he continued and looked up confused, when he heard the doorbell. "Did you hear that Ellie? I think there's someone else who wants to have a bath," he chuckled and lifted her up carefully.

Even though Elena couldn't turn around yet, he was too afraid that she might fell from the sofa while he wasn't there and he certainly didn't want to risk that. So he cradled her in his strong arms and made his way to the front door, where he peeked through the peephole. There he saw two of his favorite ladies and smiled to himself. "Oh Ellie, I think we will have some guests for the rest of the day." Slowly he opened the door and grinned at the women. "Ladies…"

Without having a chance to greet Horatio first because Alexx was faster than her, Calleigh stepped back a little and watched her friend observantly. He seemed to be okay, with his daughter in his arms, but Calleigh knew better. It was an eerie moment because they had a difficult task at hand. They wanted to make sure everything was alright with Horatio and Elena, on the other side they didn't want to intrude. Waiting for Alexx to finish, Cal just stood there silently, lost in thoughts.

It was comforting to know that Horatio was at home with his daughter at least, apparently taking care of her. It had been an odd feeling in the lab when he didn't show up the other day even though the reason of his absence was well known. Today was the first chance to see and talk to him since more than a week and she had really missed him.

"Horatio, Sweetie...," Alexx began immediately in her motherly tone and carefully wrapped her arms around him, mindful of the tiny bundle in his arms. "My heartfelt sympathy." She still couldn't believe that Marisol was dead and Horatio was a widower and single father. It had broken her heart when she saw him at the funeral and she had felt so helpless, because instead of coming to her, he had run away.

"Thank you, Alexx," he nodded and tried to give her a smile. It was the one thing of building his world around Elena and trying not to think about Marisol, but situations like these reminded him again that she wasn't there.

Blinking Calleigh realized that it was her turn now, so she took a deep breath and stepped forward. She had never liked such situations, especially concerning close friends and for a second it was like she was thrown back in time and she saw images of Tim's funeral not so long ago. Showing a faint smile briefly, she offered Horatio her hand. "My sincere condolences, Horatio. I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Calleigh," he said sincerely and took her hand in his. "What can I do for you ladies?" he asked them, when they had both made a step back. "Isn't it your day off?" It was Saturday after all and as far as he knew, they both had a free day.

"We just wanted to see you and Elena to make sure everything is alright," Alexx answered and then nodded. "And yes, it's our day off."

"So we just thought, we could...," Calleigh added quickly, "we thought we'd stop by. But we don't want to interrupt anything. We can come back later, if you want."

"Oh, no no, it's alright," Horatio quickly shook his head. "Why don't you two come in?" he said and opened the door for them. "Actually, we wanted to take a bath," he explained and saw the ladies looks. "Well uhm..not 'we' as in Elena and me, but 'we' as in..Elena," he rolled his eyes. "And before I'm risking my neck with careless talk..."

Alexx couldn't help but laugh. "I think we know what you want to tell us." It was always a rare view to see him like this. Calm, but not in control. She liked that, though she wished it would be under better circumstances.

"Thanks," Horatio said shyly and smiled down at his daughter. "Do you want to watch?"

Alexx nodded and smiled broadly. "Of course, we want to see this!"

This caused Calleigh to smile, too. "Could be interesting, I guess."

"I bet it is, since neither me nor Elena have done it before...," Horatio sighed and closed the door behind them.

"It's really the first time?" Alexx asked surprised and slipped out of her shoes, because she didn't want to wear them in the bathroom.

"Yeah, Marta told me, that she didn't want to do it while....while Elena had been with her. She said something about bonding...and...oh well I phoned her today and she explained it to me, but hearing and seeing is actually quite a difference," he sighed and took the lead to his bathroom.

"You're a grown man, Honey. There shouldn't be a problem at all," Alexx reassured him softly and followed him. Once in the bathroom, she let her eyes wander. "Okay, we need towels, the baby bathtub, bath-oil and a thermometer to make sure we've got the right water-temperature," she rattled down her list and opened her arms so that Horatio could give her Elena.

"Uhm...um okay," this was even more difficult than he had thought. Very, very carefully he handed her Elena and took a deep breath. "I...I have to look where Marisol...uhm...where she had stored all the things," he admitted and left the ladies alone in the room, He was pretty certain that all the things were still in the nursery, because he hadn't really used them. Plus, he needed fresh towels anyway.

Sighing, Alexx looked after him. "That's definitely not our Horatio," she said sadly.

Stepping closer, Calleigh gently caressed Elena's head before answering. "Well, it's understandable. He lost his wife and now has to look out for his child alone. At least he came to his senses and accepted Elena," she said quietly. "It would have been a tragedy if he had denied her. She's lovely." Within seconds the baby had a special place in her heart. "And it's good that he also accepts help." Knowing him for years now, she was really happy that he acted that way.

"Definitely," Alexx agreed wholeheartedly. Horatio could be much too stubborn for her liking sometimes, so it was a good sign, that he used his stubbornness for a good thing this time.

"Stop plotting against me, ladies," Horatio said when he saw that the three of them were talking together. Well one lady was rather quiet, but nevertheless he had to be careful when there were three women against one single man. Carefully he put the baby bath into the normal tub and put the towels on the seam. "Will someone start the water while I undress her?"

"I guess that'll be my turn now," Calleigh volunteered and knelt down.

"The temperature should be around 100° F," Alexx told her and then watched Horatio. "Make sure she's as clean as possible before taking her into the water."

"Will do," Horatio nodded and waited till Alexx laid her on the baby's changing-table. He had two of them, one in the nursery and one here in the bathroom. He didn't exactly know why, but Marisol had wanted it and so he hadn't complained. "Are you curious, baby-girl?" he cooed and started to undress her. "You'll be the loveliest girl in town," he grinned and kissed her tummy, which made Elena squeal. "You already are, aren't you? Yes you are," he said and started to undo her diaper. He almost forgot that the others were also in the room. "And oh well, you also gave me a present, how nice of you," he grinned and cleaned her bottom. When he heard a giggle behind him, he turned around and saw the ladies smiling at him. "Uhm...sorry..."

"No need to be sorry," Calleigh chuckled and stood up. "It's funny. And it's good to hear you talking so sweet to her."

Alexx nodded. "Just pretend we're not here."

"No, I won't. I'm quite happy that you are here, because I have no idea, what' I'm supposed to do now," he admitted.

"Just put her carefully into the water and look out for her head," Alexx guided him and gave him some room.

Elena in fact didn't like the fact of being naked at all and shot that off her mouth, which made Horatio wince.

"Uh, it's alright Ellie, it will be warmer in a second, I promise," he tried to calm her down and carefully laid her in the water, her head resting on his wrist and hand. He was absolutely no fan of her crying, it always broke his heart to hear it.

"There you go," Alexx praised him, still checking on his moves. "You'll see once she's used to the water, she'll love it. Babies love to bathe."

"I hope so," he replied and gently massaged Elena's hand. "Isn't this nice sweetie? So warm," he talked to her and was quiet happy when the cries decreased and finally stopped. "There you go, Ellie. It's like...mommy's tummy, hm?" he asked her quietly and reached for the wash cloth.

Those words being said, a sad feeling occurred but vanished ever so quickly as Calleigh watched father and daughter enjoying the bath. "It looks like she's quite satisfied," she confirmed and was still fascinated by these two.

"I guess everyone is when they have a bath," Alexx nodded and felt incredible sorry for these two.

***

10 minutes later, he was once again dressing Ellie in a Babygro and was quite pleased with himself of having succeeded in this task and also because Ellie had enjoyed it so much, that she had fallen asleep. Taking a deep breath, Horatio just starred at the sleeping beauty in front of him and couldn't help but draw similarities between mother and daughter. "She really looks like her, don't you think?" he turned to the ladies.

Quietly, with a hint of sadness because the mother wasn't here, Calleigh answered. "Yes, she does. She's a beautiful girl and Marisol...was...a beautiful woman."

"That she was...that she was," Horatio mumbled mostly to himself and then shook himself to get out of this sorrow. He needed to be strong for Elena's sake and couldn't allow himself to grieve. Elena needed him. "I'm gonna bring her into the nursery, I'll be back in a minute," he told them and disappeared again.

With a head shake, Alexx looked after him and sighed. "I guess we should clean up here and then... see if he wants to talk.. or wants to have some company."

"Sounds good," Calleigh agreed and looked around. It wasn't messy, but still the room looked like it hadn't been cleaned up in while. Picking up some clothes she looked for Alexx. "Do you know where the laundry room is?"

"I think it's the small room next to the kitchen downstairs," Alexx answered and poured away the water.

Inside the nursery Horatio leaned onto the crib and just watched his daughter sleep. Seeing her like this, made him happy and tired himself. A baby was stress, but being alone with a baby was even more stressful in his eyes. "Sleep with the angels, Ellie," he whispered.

Calleigh just came around the corner back to the bathroom the same time Horatio walked down the stairs. "She's asleep?" she wanted to know.

"Like a rock," he smiled and ran his hand through his hair. "Seems like the warm water did its magic with her..."

"Are you sure, she's the only one?" Alexx appeared behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Honestly, no..I don't think so, but she'll probably wake up and...," he shrugged.

"...and therefore you should take a nap yourself," Alexx finished the sentence for him. "And that means, we should be going, what do you think?" she asked Calleigh then.

A bit uncertain she looked between her friend and Horatio who really looked beaten. "I could stay a bit longer, in case Elena wakes up," she suggested.

"That's fine Cal, you don't have to. I'm not that..," a yawn hindered him to talk any further.

"Mhm, you aren't tired, no...I have no idea why we could even consider that possibility," Alexx rolled her eyes. "I think this is a very good idea, Calleigh." Eyeing her adopted son she gave him a look that didn't allow any excuses.

Relenting, Horatio held up his arms in defeat. "I'm not saying anything..."

"I'm not staying overnight, but I could watch out for her, so you can take a nap," she repeated her words so that Horatio knew what she was up to. "Besides Alexx has someone waiting at home and I'm....not," she smiled shyly, "...I have all the time in the world. No problem."

"I know better than to argue with two stubborn ladies," Horatio smiled amused.

"Good boy," Alexx praised him jokingly and made her way to the front door. "Keep an eye on him, Sweetie," she said to Cal.

"Will do," the blonde woman nodded slightly. "Drive safe, Alexx. Have a nice day."

"You do realize that I'm older than five, now do you?" Horatio mocked and sighed when he got a motherly warning glare from Alexx. "I guess I'll better get into bed."

"Sounds good to me," Alexx smiled and hugged him. "You three have a nice day," she waved goodbye and closed the door behind her.

***

When Horatio opened his eyes about an hour later, he didn't exactly know why he had woken up. He had been really tired, since he had fallen asleep the second his head had hit his fluffy pillow and nothing on earth would have woken him. So what exactly had managed to do that? Turning on his back he looked up at the ceiling and rubbed the sleep off his eyes. Normally he wasn't able to sleep that deep, because his sub consciousness hindered him. He was too afraid of not hearing Elena's cry, so there was no way for him to have a relaxed sleep.

Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes and suddenly stopped in his motion. "Huh?" What was that? It smelled like...well it smelled like food. So this was what had woken him. Someone was cooking in the kitchen and since he had been asleep and Elena was much too young for that, Cal was the only other option. Groggily, he sat up and ran a hand over his face and through his hair. Even though he could easily get back to sleep again, he didn't want to. It had already been very nice of Cal to look out for Elena, so he didn't want to force her to spend here all of her free time. Without looking he fumbled for his jeans but all he found were his sweatpants. "Well they must be enough," he said to himself and slipped them on. On his way to the stairs, he made a quick stop at Elena's nursery and assured himself that she was still asleep.

Downstairs he wandered straight into the kitchen, where he had expected to see Calleigh, but instead he just saw some boiling pots. Curiously he lifted a lid and inhaled the flavor of whatever Calleigh was cooking. "Mhm...," he mumbled to himself and suddenly felt very, very hungry.

Surprised to see Horatio standing in the kitchen, Calleigh stopped dead in her tracks and watched him while he inspected the pots. Seeing him in casual clothes, his hair uncombed and his face unshaven was also unique and so she just smiled and waited another moment before she stepped into the room. "I hope you like pumpkin soup?" she asked him and put the baby phone, which she was carrying, on the counter top.

Jumping in surprise he almost dropped the lid he was holding. Turning around he let out a deep breath. "Don't scare me like that, Cal," he chided her and tried to calm down again. "To be honest, I don't know. I've never had it before," he told her and put the lid onto the pot again. "You know that you...didn't have to do that, right?" he asked her sheepishly and looked down on the floor.

She nodded. "Yes, I know. But I wanted to," she smiled softly and stepped next to him. "I also made some roasted butternut squash, they should be ready in less than 10 minutes," she said pointing to the oven. "You can create almost anything with pumpkin and since your stocks are very low I had to improvise. Thanks to Tim I have some really great recipes," she explained. "And I'm sorry I scared you. It wasn't my intention."

"It's okay, guess I'm already not used to sharing my space with someone who can sneak up on me anymore," he shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. "But I definitely can't wait to try out your cooking." Since Marisol's death he hadn't had a good home cooked meal. "Did Elena sleep the whole time?"

"Like a rock," she answered. "You can set the table, if you want to. I haven't had the time to get used to your kitchen and I guess it's faster if you do that."

"That's only fair since you slaved yourself in the kitchen for me," he chuckled. "Are you staying here for dinner?" he asked her, since he had no idea if she had cooked for them or just for him. He wouldn't mind eating with her, he missed sharing dinner with someone else than the television.

Stirring the soup, she hesitated. "Uhm, I...don't want to disturb. It's okay for me if you want me to go. You just have to look for the laundry after dinner, since I put tons of clothes into the washing machine," Calleigh told him quietly, not sure how he would react to her actions.

"You did what? Oh..." Well this was really embarrassing and it definitely made him look like he couldn't take care of himself and Elena. But he couldn't deny that he lacked doing the housework for days now and this was the result. "I'm sorry you felt like you had to do that, Cal. I apologize," he murmured and reached for the dishes. "I wouldn't mind you staying here..uhm...I mean...you cooked this meal and so...I think you also must have the chance to eat it," he tried his best in telling her, that he didn't want her to go without telling her.

"There's no need to apologize. It's just...I had some idle time while you two slept and I...," she stopped. "If someone has to apologize then it's me. I...didn't want to be invasive." Silence followed when she thought about his words. "I would like to stay, if it's okay with you."

"It is...it is," he quickly answered her and set the table. "And you don't have to apologize, Cal. I'm grateful you did that, it seems like I still need some time to adjust so...," he shrugged.

"You really helped me, don't be sorry for that." Wanting to change the subject, he reached for something to drink and asked, "So is the lab still standing? I hope the boys don't give you a hard time?"

Relieved that he wasn't angry, she smiled again and put the hot soup onto the small kitchen table. "The boys never give me a hard time. They're too afraid of my babies," she chuckled, but then grew silent again. After a few seconds, she looked up at him. "We're doing the best we can, but it's not the same without you, you know?"

"Yeah, I know," he nodded and sat down at the table, while Calleigh was serving the soup. "I asked the chief to give me one more week....and then I'll be back again I think..," he sighed. He was torn between missing work and missing his daughter plus caring for her. He was her father after all and it was his duty to be there for her, yet he couldn't and had to ask his mother-in-law for that. He just didn't want to fail her.

After serving out the soup, she sat down at the other side of the table so she could face him. "Don't get me wrong, Horatio. It's not my right to say that you have to come back. What I meant was...it's different in the lab...like we expect you to round the corner every second but you don't. This feeling is odd, like it was with Tim. Luckily we all know that you're alive and that there's a chance that you come back again."

"There's not only a chance Cal," he said and stirred his soup. "I definitely will be back, because I have to...well no let me rephrase that, I want and have to. It's just that it feels like I abandon Ellie again," he sighed and carefully tasted the soup. "Mhm, that's pretty good, Cal. Really good," he praised her.

Flushing a bit, Calleigh looked down at her soup. "Thanks, I'm glad you like it." Putting a strand of hair behind her ear, she began to eat as well. "That decision isn't easy, I understand that. Are you...gonna employ a Nanny?" she wanted to know, since she knew that Horatio's parents were already dead.

"I thought about that, yes..but I don't think I can trust some stranger with my daughter, to be honest. She's everything I have so...oh well, Marta offered me to babysit her while I'm at work and I agreed to that. I mean she's her grandmother and she raised four kids, so I'm sure that she knows what to do," he smiled faintly. She definitely knew it better than he did, that was for sure. "She just told me that I need to decrease my overtime and I'll gladly do that. That's also something I already talked about with the chief. He wasn't happy and told me that if it was absolutely necessary I had to work overtime, but he understands the situation I'm in, so he's okay with that."

Again, Calleigh nodded. "That's good to hear. Marta and Pavel are the best choice, I'm happy that they gonna take Elena. It's good for her to be raised within the family," she said convinced. "And it's also good to hear that you'll be coming back." The beep of the alarm clock let her turn her head towards the oven. "The roasted pumpkin is ready," she stated the obvious and stood up in order to get it. When she opened the oven door, the smell of the food immediately filled the air. "Perfect, they're ready and they're even looking good," she teased herself and carefully pulled the roasting tin out after she put on some gloves. Then she returned to Horatio and put the tin in front of him. "Careful, it's quite hot."

"Well I bet they're not just looking good," he grinned at Calleigh and enjoyed it a lot to have some conversation over dinner. "And you're right; it's the best for her to be raised within the family. I mean… who else but the Delko's can tell her about her cuban origins? And..I mean... they can tell her so much about Marisol…something I'm never able to. So I think it's the best choice for now. If and only if Pavel will forgive me for my behavior. I'm not so sure about that right now," he pulled a face about his own actions.

"Well," she said and sat down, "...everyone was shocked, deeply shocked to hear from Marisol. And...," she carefully searched for the right words to say, "...we were wondering why you didn't take the chance to talk to us. Alexx was down and I guess so were Marta and Pavel. But I'm sure he will forgive you. After all you're his son-in-law and father of his granddaughter," she tried to lighten up his mood a bit. "It just takes time to cope."

"Yeah.. I think so...," he nodded and then tested his pumpkin in silence. He hadn't even known that he had something like this in his refrigerator, but assumed that Marisol had bought it for some recipe. She had been a very good cook after all. "Delicious Cal, really delicious. I think you never told me about your cooking skills, huh?"

Waving her hand, she said, "Nah, I'm not so good at cooking. I know just the basics. After work, I'm often in no mood to cook, so I tend to convenience food too, I'm afraid. Though I like cooking for others, like when it comes to one of our beloved barbeques."

"Oh yeah, your famous shrimp cocktail...don't remind me of that or I get even more hungry," he chuckled and dugged into his dinner. "But please believe me when I say, that you're indeed a good cook." Just when he wanted to call her on her blush, they heard a cry. "Well, I think my part of the dinner is over. Will you wait here, while I get her?"

"Okay, I'll wait. In fact I put the clothes into the tumble-dryer while you're gone," she suggested and also stood up in order to leave the kitchen with him. She hated nothing more than to waste time and liked to combine different tasks. "I'll be right back."

"Okay," he grinned and quickly made his way upstairs into the nursery. "Ohh there's no need to cry, Ellie," he wandered to the crib and looked down at his crying, redfaced daughter. "Daddy is here...," he said and carefully lifted her up. "Are you hungry? I bet you are and oh...," he pulled a face, "I think we need to change your first," he chuckled. "Shh...stop crying sweetie," he tried to soothe her and started to walk around, before he decided to just change the diaper and hope that she would stop crying then. Hope died last after all.

"You know," he said when he dressed her again after a few minutes, "you look so lovely when you aren't crying." She was still a bit red-faced and some sobs could still be heard, but she had calmed down more or less. "And now, we're going downstairs. I bet Calleigh is already waiting for us and you get your dinner, young lady," he smiled at her and lifted her up, so her body was resting against him. He dearly loved this closeness to his daughter.

With the tumbler running in the laundry room Calleigh started to wash the used items she had needed to cook and also put the soup back on the counter top. Horatio could store it later in the fridge after it would have cooled down. When she heard footsteps, she turned around and sighed at the sight of father and daughter. She was already falling in love. Still, she was unsure what was going on since she had no experience with infants at all. "Everything okay? You were up there pretty long," she asked.

"Well it seems like little Miss Elena here had a surprise for her daddy, so it took a bit longer than I thought," he grinned at Calleigh. Noticing that she was washing-up he rolled his eyes playfully. "You know one of these days, someone will ask me, if I hired you because you're such a good housewife and all I can says then is yes," he snickered and laughed when Calleigh flushed in front of him. "Never mind, Cal...thank you for doing so," he then told her sincerely.

"You're welcome and...," she smiled at Elena, "...hi there, sweetie. So you woke up, mhm? She's such a cutie."

"Mhm, it's time for her dinner," Horatio nodded and thought for a second. "Have you ever held her before? Because I need both of my hands to prepare her dinner."

A bit surprised she looked first at Horatio then at Elena. "Me? No. I hadn't had the chance to do so. Do you...? Do you mean I should hold her?" The last thing she wanted was to do something wrong with the baby. "Even if I make a fool of myself, but I don't know what to do." She had nieces and nephews, but she had never had the chance to hold a newborn before.

"That' okay, it's pretty easy.. you just have to be careful with her head," he smiled at her and slowly handed her Elena. "There you go...," he said and showed her how to hold Elena. "Perfect," he grinned at an amazed Calleigh. "Is that okay for you? It won't take long."

Amazed Calleigh looked at the baby in her arms. She never had those feelings before but right now she was full of pride and love for that tiny little bundle. Gently she cradled her, while Elena eyed her intently. "Poor thing, you have seen so many strangers in your short life," Cal mumbled, "including me. But I'm sure everything will turn out well for you, sweetie."

"I think it's kinda normal, when you grow up in a big family," Horatio shrugged a bit helplessly and started to heat the water for the dried milk. "But I can only guess, it's not like I have many experiences with a child," he added then and turned around to Calleigh. "It's an amazing feeling, isn't it?"

"It's...it's like...," she answered, "...I don't even know how to describe. It feels good, though a bit unfamiliar. But still good. I know that makes no sense," she quickly added. "But I'm lost for words right now."

"I can relate, believe me," he chuckled in response. "You're looking good with a baby, it suits you. Ever thought about having your own one?" he asked curiously and measured the milk powder.

That question baffled her, so she needed some time to react. "Uhm, well...I...I never considered something like this before and uhm, someday maybe."

Chuckling he apologized. "Sorry, Cal. I didn't want to offend you..." Shaking the bottle, he walked to the ladies and smiled down at his daughter. "Do you enjoy being in Calleigh's arms, hm?" he talked to her and gently ran a finger over her cheek and let her suck on his finger. "Now now…only a minute or two and you will get your dinner, Elena..." Looking at Calleigh he nodded towards the living room. "Why don't we sit down on the couch? I'm sure Elena won't mind."

"Whatever is best," Cal answered and carefully walked towards the other room where she sat down on the couch after Horatio had taken the lead. Curiously she watched him as he positioned himself next to her.

At first, Horatio grabbed the cloth and laid it on his shoulder. Then he tested the warmth of the milk on his wrist and nodded. Noticing Calleigh's look, he smiled at her. "Marta showed me this trick. It's the best way to see if the milk is too hot," he explained her and put down the bottle onto the couch table. "So.. let's see if you still want to be held by your daddy, Ellie," he joked and cautiously took her from Calleigh's arms. Reaching for the bottle he started to feed her and leaned back, so they were both comfortable. "It still amazes me that she can eat so much...well, much for such a little charmingness. But Marta already said that she's a good eater and that's a very good thing. Guess that's the only thing she inherited from the Caine side of the family."

Leaning close to him, Calleigh watched intently. "So far, maybe. You don't know how her character will develop. But I'm sure she's in good hands and she already is Daddy's girl."

"Daddy's little girl? That she is," he agreed amused. Winking at Calleigh he continued, "well she has a big, loving family which is watching out for her. So yeah, she's in good hands." He would have loved to spend such peaceful evenings with his wife. Just the three of them together on the couch, while Marisol would feed little Elena. Instead _he_ was feeding Elena and couldn't be more far away from the so called perfect family in reality. Sighing he stopped feeding his daughter for a moment, so she wouldn't choke on her food. "Don't be so hasty..."

With every minute Cal loved seeing the two of them more and more. "Do you mind...if I take a picture?" she softly asked and held a foot of Elena in her hands so that she could caress the little toes through the fabric of the babysocks.

"No. Why should I?" he asked back and shook his head. "Feel free to take as much as you want to," he offered her and looked down at Ellie. "We don't mind, now do we? Nah, we had a good day so far...so go for it aunt Calleigh," he grinned.

"Too bad I don't have my camera with me," she smiled and stood up to get her cell-phone with its mini-camera. Within seconds she was back and kneeled down in front of them and chuckled at the term. "Aunt Calleigh...that sounds weird and a bit funny." A few seconds later she had taken at least four pictures and stored the phone away. "If you like we can take some with the real camera sometime. You'll look good with her," she said and sat back on the couch. Again, she held one foot from Elena. This time she didn't even notice that she was doing so. It just came naturally.

"Oh I'm quite sure that Alexx will come back and will take a lot of pictures of her. Not to forget her uncle Eric, her grandparents...," he rolled his eyes. "But we will find a day where you can take some, promise," he chuckled and was satisfied when he saw the empty bottle. "Already finished baby girl? A bath can make one really hungry, huh?" he laughed and lifted her up for the burp. "I'm really happy that you stayed here, Cal. It means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it, Horatio. I'm glad I could help you. More or less. Besides you would have done the same," she said and gently laid a hand on his upper arm. "That's what friends are for."

"You helped me, Cal. That much I can tell you." Hearing the burp he smiled and stroked Ellie's back. "Good girl...you made your daddy really happy." He was always relieved when he heard that sound.

"Then I'm happy," Calleigh smiled at him and the smile grew even wider when she saw Elena yawning. It was absolutely adorable. "I guess someone is ready for the bed again."

"Huh?" Horatio turned his head in question.

"Elena, she's yawning and with all due respect Mr. Caine, you also look like you could need a good night's sleep."

Blushing, Horatio averted his eyes and cradled Elena in his arms. "I guess you're right," he admitted.

"Good. And this is also my cue to leave you two alone. The laundry should be ready any minute, don't forget it, okay?"

"I won't thanks again Ma'am," he nodded and was about to stand up when Calleigh shook her head.

"Stay here, we don't want to her to wake up again. I'm sure I can find my way out alone, Horatio." With that she patted his shoulder and stood up in order to leave. "You do know that I'm just a call away?" she used his phrase she had heard so many times before.

"I do," he answered amused.

"Good. Have a nice evening Horatio and you too sweetie," she leaned down and caressed the baby's hair. "I'll see you, Horatio. Bye."

"Take care Cal and drive home safely," he quietly called after her and grinned when he heard her "Will do." Smiling down at the sleeping beauty in his arms he said. "Well I guess we should follow her orders, don't you think?" And with that he stood up and made his way upstairs.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

When Horatio stopped his car at the Delkos' about a week later, he and Elena already had had a stressful morning. It was one thing, to have all the time in the world, having a shower when you felt like it and just slipping on some casual clothes, but a whole different when it was your first day of work again and you not only had to get yourself ready but your infant daughter as well. It wasn't only feeding her, changing the diaper and dressing her. No, he also had to pack a bag, with all the things a baby needed and Marta certainly wouldn't have at home. He was still on time, yes, but he also knew that he needed to get up earlier tomorrow, to be ready before Elena would awake. This would make things a lot easier.

Getting out, he walked around the car and opened the backseat door. Then he unbuckled the seatbelt to get the infant car seat out. "So are you ready to see nana again?" he asked his daughter and smiled down at her. He already missed her that was for sure. "I know you'll have a good time with her, baby girl," he sighed and made a small detour to grab the bag from the back seat, before he finally arrived at the front door. There he rang the bell and waited either for Marta or Pavel to open the door and if he could decide, he definitely opted for the former.

Greeting him with a smile, Marta opened the door. "Good morning, Horatio." Then she bent down to look at Elena. "Hi sweetie. You look good." Standing up again, she motioned Horatio to step in. "Come in here, you still have some time." She was relieved that Horatio had found the strength again to return to work. It was a positive sign.

"Well time is relative," he smiled at her and stepped into the house. "I packed you a bag...because I wasn't sure if you still have some things at home," he told her and waited for her to lead the way. "Just the normal things like diapers, milk..," he listed.

"Okay, that sounds good," the older woman nodded and went straight to the living room, where her husband Pavel was sitting and read the newspaper. He had still 30 minutes to get ready to work himself.

Hearing Marta's voice, Pavel looked up from the newspaper and took a deep breath. It was the first time after his Marisol had died that he was facing Horatio again and he still didn't have a clue of how to deal with him.

"You know, I'm still very thankful that you'll babysit her," Horatio told her honestly and entered the living room behind her and saw the last person he wanted to deal with right now - his father-in-law. Not because he didn't like him, but because he still didn't have a good excuse for his behavior, if there was one anyway. "Good morning, Pavel," he said quietly and looked at Marta. "Where do you want me to put her things down?"

"Just give me the things, I'll take care of it," Marta offered and prayed silently that the two men would behave. Then she took her granddaughter and lifted her up. "Wow...you gained quite some weight, Love. Your Daddy is doing a good job, mhm?" she asked the infant playfully though she wasn't expecting an answer from her. Carefully she cradled her in her arms.

"Good morning, Horatio," Pavel said, but didn't stand up at first. Getting a glare from his wife, he frowned and sighed as he finally stood up and walked to his son-in-law, offering him his hand. "So, it's your first day back in the lab?" he wanted to know, because he couldn't think of anything else to start with. He watched Horatio in interest, and tried to figure out if his counterpart was intimidated by the situation or because the native Russian was a bit taller than Horatio.

"Yeah..finally or let's better say sadly," Horatio nodded and felt indeed a bit uncomfortable. But not because of Pavel's height, but because he was pretty sure that Pavel was still mad of him due to his recent behavior and in fact he couldn't blame him for that. "Okay, well I'd better get going. You have my cell number, Marta? If something happens, just call me, no matter when or why, okay?" He was already nervous enough about leaving his Ellie alone, so he needed the reassurance that Marta would call him immediately in case something happened.

"Of course I will," Marta said and was able to stop rolling her eyes. "But there's nothing to worry about, you hear me? She's safe for now."

Pavel nodded. "We already took care of her once," he said and the hint was clear for everyone in the room. Stepping back he eyed Horatio who seemed to be nervous. "Have you been to her grave yet?" he asked him in a low voice, changing the subject unexpectedly.

Though he tried to hide it, Horatio visibly flinched at Pavel's words. Even though Pavel was just a few years older than himself, it felt like his father would talk to him and that made him always timidly. "Not... since the funeral, Sir," he answered him and averted his eyes. He hated the direction where this conversation was leading, but it had been his own fault that there actually was the need to have such a talk. "I've been.. uhm.. preoccupied with taking care of Elena and finding a routine."

Even though Marta knew that Pavel wanted to talk to Horatio, she was still a bit surprised that her husband did it now, but stayed silent for the moment and sat down on the couch.

"Your behavior...it shocked me," he told him flatly. "In fact, I'm shocked again, hearing that you haven't been there." Pavel had to swallow hard, his emotions visible. "Why? Why don't you go there?" For him, there was no such excuse like Horatio had mentioned.

Actually, it was none of his business. Pavel had no right to know, had no right to ask him such a question, but he could understand why the man wanted to know. "Because I can't, Pavel. I just can't. I couldn't do it in the past, and I can't do it now. I need time....and believe me when I say, that I don't need to visit my wife's grave to realize that she's gone. I realize that every minute in my life. I realize it every morning when I wake up in a lonely bed and I realize it when it's me feeding Elena and not Marisol. So please don't tell me that I need to visit her grave because I can't do that," he whispered and clenched his fist to ease the tension within him.

Judging that gesture wrong, Martas' eyes went wide and she stood up. "Please," she went towards the men, Elena in her arms, "don't overreact. It's not easy. For any of us."

Pavel wanted to reply, but shut his mouth again and took a deep breath instead. He then turned around and walked to the window. Staring outside, he stayed quiet for a few moments before he said, "I'm sorry."

Sighing, Horatio took a deep breath to get his emotions under control. Smiling reassuringly at Marta, he shook his head. "It isn't, you're right." Then he looked at Pavel who was standing with his back towards him. "I can't ask for your forgiveness Pavel and probably not even for your understanding, but believe me when I say, that I'm sorry for my behavior. I ran away, from you, from Marisol and most of all from Elena. I will never forgive myself for doing so."

Seeing images from Marisol as a young 8 year old girl, playing in the garden he was looking at, Pavels' eyes went wet and he fought hard to avoid crying. He listened to every single word Horatio was saying, then turned around and nodded. "Just don't do that again. Run away, I mean. Because if you do, you'd better don't come back at all." He was a simple man, so were his words. "My Mari...," he swallowed the lump in his throat, "...wanted Elena to grow up in a harmonic family. It's her legacy. Now it's our duty to fulfill her wishes." With that, he walked up to Horatio. "We are a family, Horatio. We care for each other. Just keep that in mind."

"I will, Pavel," he said seriously. "And I won't run away again," he added quickly. He had made that mistake once and he wouldn't do it again. Holding out a hand, he hoped that Pavel would accept it as a sign to make peace.

Relieved Marta smiled and looked at Pavel.

The man was also looking at his wife and granddaughter then back at Horatio's offered hand. With a faint smile he took it. "I guess we both need time to readjust, mhm?"

"I think so too," Horatio nodded and shook hands with him. "And I really wish we could start right now, but I need to get going," he sighed when he looked at his watch. "I'm gonna call you, when I finish, okay? And yes, I'll do my best to avoid making overtime."

"You better do that, son," Marta gave him a glare first then hugged him the best she could, with Elena still in her arms. "Drive safe and please be careful at work."

Pavel looked at his watch too. "And I'm going to be late, too." Nodding at Horatio for the last time, he went to leave the room so that he could get ready for work.

"I'll do my best," he smiled at Marta and took Elena from her arms. "And you'll be good," he told his daughter and kissed her forehead. "I don't want to hear any complaints from nana," he laughed. "Daddy will miss you the whole day," he sighed, kissed her again and then handed her back to Marta. "I'll see you in the afternoon. Have a nice day."

"You, too," she told him and walked with him to the door. "Bye."

***

When he pulled into the parking lot about 20 minutes later, Horatio had already stopped himself twice from calling Marta and asking her if Elena was okay. "This is going to be a very long day," he sighed to himself and had no idea how he should actually concentrate on a case when his mind was occupied with thoughts about his daughter. Sighing he got out of the car and gave himself a minute before he wandered to the front door of the lab.

Inside he walked straight to the lift and got in. It was a weird feeling somehow. He had only been away for two weeks and it almost felt like he didn't belong here. The last time he had spend more than two days away from the lab, had been in his honeymoon, which was also over a year ago.

And maybe it was true and he really didn't belong here, not now at least. He should be with his daughter, but the chief had told him in no uncertain terms that he could understand his situation but that he needed a supervisor in his lab and if it wouldn't be Horatio, he had to choose someone else for that. And that was the main part why Horatio was here now and exited the lift when its doors opened.

"Lt. Caine, it's so good to see you back. I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you Paula, it's good to be back," he smiled at her. He had liked Paula from the beginning. There wasn't a better person for the registration desk than her. He was very fond of her work and he knew that he could trust her and her instincts. "Do you have something for me?"

"Well, actually yes," she nodded hesitantly and rummaged in the different piles. "Since most people don't know your home address, a lot of them send…cards to the lab," she said quietly, not sure if this had been a good idea at all. "I can..I can keep them a bit longer... well as long you want anyway."

Sensing her distress, Horatio shook his head. "It's okay, I will get them later, after shift, if that's okay with you."

"Sure, Sir, no problem," she sighed in relief. "Otherwise there hadn't been any calls..." Seeing his raised eyebrows she chuckled. "Well of course there had been, but Calleigh took care of them. She's actually in your office right now."

No one knew better about the whereabouts of his team than Paula. This was also a fact why he liked her so much. "Well then I'll better have a look if my office is still in one piece" he joked lightly and took off into the right direction.

On his way he passed the DNA lab, where he could see Valera and Natalia working together on some case. When they looked up from their work, he waved at them and should have known better.

"Horatio," both stepped out of the hallway and looked uncertainly at him. Natalia was still new in the lab and Valera had always been a bit nervous around Horatio.

"We...we just wanted to tell you how sorry we are," Natalia said and Valera joined in.

"Yes, we just wanted to let you know, that we will have your back, always."

Horatio smiled lightly and ducked his head. "That's very nice of you, thank you both," he said softly and then looked up again. He had never been completely comfortable with such situations and started to fumble with his sunglasses. "All I need for now is a functioning lab and it seems like you two have everything under control. Now I need to check the others," he chuckled.

Taking the hint, both women nodded in unison. "Calleigh is in your office and Ryan is in the Trace Lab. I'm not sure where Eric is, though," Natalia thought out loud.

"That's fine, Ma'am. I'm sure I will find them," Horatio nodded in response. "I'll see you later so you can update me in our current cases," he told them and left without waiting for a reply.

A few moments later he was cornered by Ryan, who had just exited the Trace Lab when Horatio had turned around the corner.

"Horatio," Ryan called which made him stop.

"Yes, Mr. Wolfe?" he asked politely, even though he knew what the young man wanted to tell him.

"I..uhm..I'm not very good at such things," Ryan started hesitantly and shifted with his feet.

"Neither am I, Mr. Wolfe, neither am I," Horatio said and waited for him to continue. He knew that it probably was his fault, that the youngest part of his team was still acting hesitantly around him due to the fact that he didn't call him by his first name, but he didn't see any reasons to change that.

Marisol had confronted him once about it and had tried to talk some sense into him, but she hadn't succeeded. It was his way to put some distance between him and Speed's replacement. He had lost one part of his team and it still hurt badly. Now, with the distance, he hoped that it would hurt less.

Though there was no way of saying that Ryan wasn't part of the team. He was. Definitely. He just became a member at the worst of time. When they mourned one of their own.

"I just wanted to express my condolences," Ryan said and stopped Horatio's inner musings. "And when you need one of us, we'll be there," he sighed and was very pleased with himself, that he actually had the courage to say that.

"Thank you, Mr. Wolfe. This means a lot to me," Horatio nodded and was indeed proud of him. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good," the younger man nodded and looked around, not sure of what to say. "Uhm, do you want to see what we're working on at the moment?"

"Ah, no," H shook his head. "At least not now. I was on my way to my office and talk to Calleigh. But I'm sure that I'll summon a meeting, so you can update me on everything."

"Sounds good, H. Okay, then I'm gonna head back to my traces, the mass spectrometer should be ready any second."

"You do that, Mr. Wolfe. I'll talk to you later," Horatio said his goodbye and climbed up the stairs to his office. Arriving there, he took a moment where he just watched his second in command through the glass door for a few moments. Calleigh was absorbed in some file lying in front of her and he wondered if she actually enjoyed doing paperwork. Tilting his head, he grinned when he saw her rolling her eyes. _"Well, I guess this answers my question,"_ he thought amused and entered the office with his typical "Knock, knock."

Calleigh looked up in surprise and gave him a broad smile. "Horatio," she drawled and immediately stood up from her, well his chair. "It's so good to see you back. Is it really Monday already?" Time just flew away.

"I'm afraid so, yes," he nodded and closed the door behind him. "I see that you had fun with paperwork?"

Calleigh gave him a disapproving glare. "Yeah, fun for a masochist probably. I have no idea how you stay sane with this bureaucratic stuff. It's so annoying," she stated and was happy that this was over now. "But let's talk about more important things. How are you? How is Elena?"

"We're both fine. I guess Elena is keeping Marta on the run, but otherwise we're doing fine," he said and couldn't hide the touch of sadness in his voice.

Calleigh noticed it immediately and rested her hand on his upper arm. "I know you miss her, but you will see her again in a few hours. I can imagine that it's hard, but I'm sure you'll get used to it."

"Yeah," Horatio sighed. "It's just a weird feeling, not having her around, you know?"

"Mhm, but I'm sure it will get better. You two will just be fine, believe me." And since she didn't want him to sink in a bad mood, she continued immediately. "And the best way to push such thoughts to the back of one's mind, is some highly interesting paperwork, don't you think?" she laughed and ignored his light grumbling. "And because I'm in such a good mood, I'll see if I can get you a nice, hot cup of Cuban coffee. What do you think?" Well she knew them inside out.

"You're too good to me," he smiled and squeezed her hand.

"I know, but I can't help myself," she drawled and winked at him. "Black as night?"

"Black as night," he confirmed with a nod and walked to his desk where he sat down on his black leather chair.

"I'll be back in a few," she announced and left him alone. She would use the time to call Alexx, because she was sure that their mother wanted to make sure that her oldest son was doing okay. _"Poor Horatio, he will be at the receiving end of her mothering, but lord knows that he needs it."_

"Okay," he called after her and let his eyes roam over the opened case file. It probably was a good thing that he didn't have to go out in the field for now, since his mind was not totally focused. He was thinking about Elena, hoping that she'd be alright and she got along well with her grandma. Of course, he knew that Marta was a good mother, but he guessed that no parent liked to leave their child alone. "This is going to be a very long day," he sighed to himself and started to read; his mind already 8 hours further, where he would be able to see his daughter again.

***

Two hours later, after reviewing the latest cases in his office, Horatio stood outside of the break room and watched his team, which had already gathered up inside. He could see that they were joking around, since they either had a big smile on their faces, or they were laughing. He liked it when they had a good time, because only a relaxed team could do its job efficiently.

Of course it wasn't only his CSI Team waiting for him, no Alexx was also there, which didn't surprise him at all. She was their mother and as far as Horatio was concerned, she was psychic. There was no other explanation for the fact that she always knew what was going on. Sometimes he wondered if her ancestors probably had had some supernatural powers and she had inherited those, but he would never dare to ask her, because he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear her answer.

Shaking his head about his unusual thoughts, he entered the room and greeted them with a friendly, "Ladies and Gentlemen", before he got himself a good cup of coffee. The one Calleigh had brought to him earlier hadn't been enough for long, so he needed a replenishment. "Thank you for taking your time," he continued and filled his cup. "I don't think it will take long, but I do have some questions about our current cases."

The team just looked at him and nodded. It wasn't unusual for them to meet here. There had been several mornings in the past years, where they had met in the break room to sift through the cases. Of course, most of the times they did it in one of the labs, the layout room for example, but the mood was much looser in here. And the only time when they met in Horatio's office was, when it was about something personal or private.

"Okay, let's start with the Sharp Case," Horatio announced and sat down at the head of the table. "Did I understand it correctly, that we do have two potential eyewitnesses, but their stories had huge discrepancies?" he asked no one in particular and waited for an answer.

"Yes, that's about right, H," Eric nodded and pulled out the case file. It was his and Ryan's case, like most of the current ones, since Calleigh had had enough work in her ballistic lab and being in charge for the lab for the last two weeks. "For now, we already wonder if there were actually two perps and not one, as we originally thought. I mean..one eyewitness is talking about a black man wearing a white hoodie, while the other swears that he had seen a white man with a red hoodie. I seriously doubt that they're colorblind so..," he shrugged.

"So are there any signs for two suspects, instead of one?" Horatio asked intrigued.

"Well there are," Ryan joined in and looked into the file. "For example…"

***

"Okay, "Horatio nodded and closed the last file in front of him. "Thank you again for taking your time. As far as I can see, you did anything you could. Good work anyone," he smiled proudly. He didn't say it often, but his team was definitely the best in the States. He had handpicked them and even though he wasn't the type for self-praise, he was very pleased with his decisions. They all had different characters, but they just matched, which was highly unlikely with so many people. No wonder that they referred to the 'family' phrase, because it fitted perfectly and Horatio was very proud of being a member of this special family, especially in these days. They had told him with their actions towards him, that they would have his back and would support him as much as they could and that made him incredible happy, even in these sad days.

"We're glad that we could help you, Horatio," Calleigh said and stood up like her team mates. "I think I can speak for all of us, when I say, that we're happy to see you back and you'd better not hesitate to ask us if you have further questions about the cases," she winked.

"I wouldn't have thought less of you," Horatio ducked his head in response and watched them leave the room; everyone, except of Alexx of course, who had been quiet during the whole meeting. "Alexx, is there something we need to talk about?" he asked her and took the last sip of his coffee.

"No, Sweetie. I just wanted to ask you if you're okay?" she asked in her motherly tone.

"Yeah, I am…," he nodded slowly. "I just miss Elena…," he added, because Alexx would ask him anyway.

"Aww, that's normal, Sweetie. I missed my babies too the first time I had to leave them alone, but I promise you that it's getting better and better. The lab work will be good for you."

"It will definitely keep me occupied and prevent me from thinking about other things," he agreed and stood up from his chair.

"That's true, Horatio. But don't forget that overtime is no option any longer," she gave him a stern look which made him chuckle.

"I know, I know and to be honest, I don't want to. There's a little lady waiting for me to pick her up, so no…no overtime."

"That's my boy," Alexx cooed and touched his cheek. "Don't forget that you have a family and friends, who will be there for you. No matter when, where or why, right?"

"Yeah, I know. Thank you," he said sincerely.

"Very good and now shoo, so you can finish on time," she laughed and patted his cheek lightly. "And don't you dare to stay longer."

"Never, Ma'am," he smiled lightly and before Alexx could think of other threats, he quickly left the break room. He knew that Alexx would keep an eye on him for the next days or even weeks, but he knew better than to argue with her about that. You didn't argue with mother Alexx; that was a rule they all had learned quickly.

_Tbc_

**A/N: Actually, I'm not sure if I should continue this story here on , because it seems like no one is interested in it. That's sad actually, because the story is already finished on my computer and I hate leaving stories unfinished, because it's unfair to my readers. But then again…if there are none…it's not unfair, right? **


	7. Chapter 71

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews again, they meant a lot to me. ****A special thank you goes to my anonymous reviewers, since I couldn't thank them via PM.**

**So I divided this chapter into two parts, or it would have been too long. Please let me know what you think. **

**Chapter 7.1**

Annoyed, Horatio quitted the call and took a deep breath. It was Saturday, he wasn't on call and yet he had received a call from the Chief, telling him that he was needed at a crime scene. Life was definitely unfair. Why couldn't someone from the nightshift handle the case? "Because the Mayor always gets a special treatment," he grumbled. He and Mayor Simmons have never been friends and the fact that this Mayor was now ruining his well planned weekend with his daughter didn't help at all.

And this was the key word – daughter. What should he do with Elena? His in-laws were out of town, Eric was in the lab…"Alexx." If there was one person on earth who would love to babysit his daughter, then it was Alexx. Immediately he hit the speed dial and waited for her to pick up.

Impatiently he started to pace up and down and when she didn't pick up after the 10th ring, he knew that she wasn't at home and he in great trouble. "Damn…" he mumbled under his breath and was devoid of ideas. He didn't know any teenage babysitters, especially none he would trust to stay alone with Elena and this was a big problem now. "Okay, collect yourself Horatio, stay calm and think. Who's not on call, who do you trust and who is able to stay with Elena?" This was definitely not easy to answer.

With a deep sigh he sat down on the couch and ran his hands through his hair. Well there was one person who complied all this qualities, but he didn't know if this person was at home or willing to spend some hours of vacation with babysitting his daughter. "Well Horatio, you'll never find out until you don't call her," he said to himself and once again used the speed dial. Crossing his fingers mentally he dearly hoped to reach her.

Surprised she looked up from her book which she was reading in. She was sitting and enjoying the sun on her balcony, something she was rarely able to do. "Please, don't let it be you, Dad…," she sighed deeply. It was just after noon and if some barman would call her to pick up her Dad…she didn't even want to think about it. Ungraciously she fingered after her cell phone which was vibrating on the small table next to her. "Duquesne?" she picked up and snapped her book shut, prepared for the worst.

"Hey Cal, it's me," Horatio said when he heard her voice and let his eyes roam over the living room. "I'm sorry to bother you while you're on vacation," he sighed and really had a bad conscience about it. She deserved this time just for herself and now he was interrupting it. Or the chief…well maybe he and the chief together. Not to forget the Mayor.

"Aw, that's fine, Horatio," she drawled in her typical southern accent, relieved that it was just him and not a bar. "What's wrong?" she asked and laid back a bit to make herself comfortable again.

"First of all… are you back in Miami already?"

"Yeah, sure. Since yesterday. Why?"

"I…just wanted to make sure, uhm.. because I need to ask you a favor," he said unsure.

"Okay? Shoot, what can I do for my favorite Lieutenant?" she teased him playfully.

It was a good thing, that she couldn't see his slight blush. "Oh well, your favorite Lieutenant as you call him, needs a babysitter for his daughter, since the Chief wants him on a scene even though he's not on call."

"Oh? What happened?" she asked worried and sat up a bit.

"Well it seems like the Mayor found his dead maid in his house…and he doesn't want any fuss about it…well you know politicians and so he called the Chief…who called me and told me that I'd better get my backside to the crime scene," he told her with an annoyed undertone.

"Oh great," she grumbled in sympathy.

"Yeah. I would have asked Marta and Pavel, but they're away for the weekend. Eric is also on call, so he can't keep Elena and I couldn't get hold of Alexx..so…uhm…," he pulled a face, "if you 're busy…I understand that."

"No, no. I'm not busy. Of course I will babysit her." She loved Elena and she loved spending time with her and her father. "When do you want me to come?"

"As soon as possible, actually. Are you really okay with that, Cal? It's your vacation and I don't want you to skip any plans you might have."

"Don't worry about it. I'll be there in 15. That's what friends are for and I can raid your fridge," she laughed to lighten up the mood and show him, that she was more than okay with it. Standing up she grabbed her book and got inside her apartment.

"I'm not sure if you can find so much in it, but you can at least have a try," he chuckled softly. "Thank you, Calleigh. This means a lot to me. I wouldn't have disturbed you if it wasn't important."

"I know that and I'm happy that you trust me enough to babysit her," she smiled sweetly, even though he couldn't see it, and began to get ready. "Do I need something to stay overnight?"

"Uhm…ah..no, no," he said shyly. "I'll tell the Chief that I can't work that late. So no.. you don't have to," he shook his head.

"Okay, if you say so," she grinned and would still pack a small overnight bag. She knew the chief and she knew Horatio and the way he was when a case got hold of him. But to be fair she had to admit that he has changed a lot over the last months. It was now a rare sight to see him in his office after shifts ends and this was a good sign. The Chief on the other side, wanted to please the Mayor and this meant that he would even force Horatio to work as long as they needed to process the scene. "Well I'll get ready then, I'll see you in a few."

"Yeah, but don't hurry, Cal. Take your time, I'll wait for you anyway," he told her and bid her goodbye. Closing his cell he walked to his 6 month old daughter who was lying in her playpen. "Aunt Calleigh will watch out for you, isn't that great?" he said and lifted her up. "I'm sure you two will have a lot of fun." He hated to leave her alone on the weekend. He hated to leave her anyway, but this time of the week was always their time and now he had to leave her alone. "Daddy will be back as soon as possible, I promise," he kissed her head and gave her a squeeze, which made her squeal in delight.

***

It was after 11 p.m. when Horatio unlocked his door. 10 hours of processing a crime scene, listening to the Mayor's disapproving rants about Horatio's working procedure and processing the evidences in the lab. And now he was finally home again. With a sigh he closed the door behind him and let his keys drop onto the small table in the hallway. With some trouble he slipped out of his shoes, kicked them under the table and hung up his jacket. He was deadly tired and hungry. He didn't have the chance to eat a snack in the lab, because he had been busy working and right now he could literally eat a horse. The problem was, that he was too tired to actually cook something. With a shrug he padded into the living room and was greeted by Calleigh.

Calleigh had already heard the door and knew it could only be him, so she wasn't surprised when she saw him entering the room. "Hey Handsome…," she greeted him softly and switched off the TV. She'd been watching some realty show, so she wouldn't fall asleep until Horatio would be home again.

He felt anything but handsome in this very moment, so he just cracked her a wry smile. "Hi."

"You look like hell," she said in sympathy and watched him sitting down on the couch next to her. "Do you want to talk about it? Did you eat something?" she asked concerned, because he looked a bit gaunt.

"Don't know and no," he gave her the short answer and shook his head. "Don't want to cook and don't think there is actually something in the fridge", he continued. It had been his plan to do some grocery shopping today, but the darn case had hindered him successfully.

Calleigh just smiled to herself. This was a rare view and even though she felt bad for him, he looked incredible cute right now. "Then it's a good thing that I ordered a big pizza some time ago and there is still something left for you."

"You did?" he cracked one eye open and looked at her curiously.

"Uh-huh. Stay here and I'll heat it up for you," she said and didn't give him any chance to argue. Not that he was in any state to do so anyway.

"Okay," he sighed and rested his head against the back of the couch.

In the kitchen, Calleigh grabbed the pizza slices and put them into the oven so they could heat up a bit. After finishing that, she grabbed the lemonade pitcher out of the fridge and searched for a glass. Then she put it all on a tray and just waited for the pizza to be ready. She dearly hoped that he would eat something and as a result would get some strength back, since she needed to talk to him. She had found out about something today, that had disturbed her a great deal and Horatio was the only one who could give her answers to her questions.

Leaning against the counter, she tried to find the best way to approach the sensitive subject. She didn't feel good in her skin, but it had been a complete accident the way she'd found out. And for now she didn't even know if her suspicions were actually right or wrong, though she didn't have any other conclusion about her finding.

The typical ring of the oven startled her out of her deep musings and for now she tried to shake away her thoughts. Right now he needed a little bit of pampering and she was more than willing to give it to him. With the tray she left the kitchen and stopped in her tracks when caught glimpse of him.

Horatio was still sitting on the sofa, like she had left him. His head was resting in an uncomfortable way against the back of the couch and his eyes were closed. She slowly made a few steps towards him to have a better look at him. And what she saw shocked her. He had dark circles around his eyes, there were deep wrinkles everywhere, his normally white skin looked gray and he looked totally exhausted. She knew that this had been a stressful day, but one day couldn't make you look so drained. He looked at least 10 years older and Calleigh was angry with herself that she hadn't noticed it earlier.

"Hey," she said softly if not to startle him and put down the tray onto the couch table. "I hope you like extra cheese?" she smiled and handed him his plate with some pizza.

Slowly Horatio opened his eyes and he felt his senses coming back to life when he smelt the wonderful aroma of a good pizza. "Right now, I'd even eat anchovy," he joked. "But extra cheese is just fine."

"That's good," she grinned and sat down next to him with a freshly filled glass of lemonade. Crossing her legs the Indian style, she watched him eating and smiled at his humming approval. "I'll take you enjoy your nourishment?"

"Oh absolutely," he answered after swallowing and did his best of not to bolt too much, but he felt like starving.

"Good," she nodded. "So, what about the case?" she asked him curiously.

Instead of giving her a verbal answer, he just rolled his eyes which made her laugh. "Well the 'case' as you call it, isn't a case actually. At least not for CSI."

"How so?" she asked intrigued.

"For me everything looks like a death of natural cause. You know, this maid was actually 70 years old." Seeing her raised eyebrows, he nodded. "Yep, that was my first impression when I saw her. It seems like the Mayor likes older staff, since he believes that they're more accurate and don't sell stories about him to the press." The next slice of Pizza wandered onto his plate. "Anyway, it seems like the victim, Mrs. Norton, had had heart problems for some time now and was taking pills for it."

"You think it was a heart attack?" Calleigh asked when he took another bite.

"Mhm…," he nodded and chewed slowly. "I think so…well I need to wait for the autopsy report of course, but since I have neither found any defensive wounds nor signs for a fight…that's the only conclusion."

"And for that reason, the Mayor had made a state affair and defrauded you of your day off", she winced in sympathy. This was really unfair.

"I know," he sighed and suddenly he sat up straight. "What about Elena?" Oh god, he had been so out of it, that he totally forgotten to ask Calleigh about her. This wasn't good. Not at all.

Sensing his worry, she laid a hand on his shoulder. "She's soundly asleep. I put her to bed hours ago, don't worry," she smiled when he relaxed a bit. "See, I have the baby monitor right here," she told him and pointed to the gadget on the table.

"Okay...," he said relieved and leaned back again. "I'm so sorry that you had to wait so long, Calleigh. I guess it's not my day," he apologized.

"That's fine, Horatio. We had a very nice time together," she assured him.

"Yeah?" he asked curiously.

"Yes," she nodded. "We've played with her activity gym, oh well, she'd played with it and I watched her," she laughed softly and smiled when she remembered their day together and saw the scenes playing in front of her eyes. Elena was such a cute and good baby. She was laughing a lot and always wore a smile on her face. She had captured Calleigh's heart in an instant.

"Mhm, she likes this toy a lot and I'm happy about it. To be honest, it was Alexx who suggested it to me. Of course, I've seen them before in stores…but since I have no experiences with babies to speak of, I kinda must rely on other peoples' experiences," he told her and sipped his lemonade.

"Well that's no shame, Horatio. It's indeed very thoughtful of you to ask for help when it comes to Elena." _"Though it wouldn't be bad, if you'd ask for help when it comes to you, too."_

"You think so?" he asked surprised.

"Of course. It shows that you care a lot about her wellbeing and only want the best for her. So asking someone for advice is anything but a shame. Though…I really need to know which joker gave her this plush cell phone," she giggled.

Horatio just groaned and closed his eyes. "You saw that, didn't you?"

"Of course, it was her favorite toy. Must be from her father's side," she teased him.

"What is that supposed to mean? I didn't buy that..," he pouted. "It was Eric's idea, it's all his fault."

"Aww, come one. She looks awfully cute when she's biting on it, because she gets no connection," she laughed and really tried to not imagine Horatio doing the same, but it was already too late.

"Well I'm happy that my daughter could contribute to your amusement," he told her and rolled his eyes. The bad thing was, that Elena looked so adorable with her personal cell, that he hadn't had the heart to take it away. After all it was just some plush toy. "Well my princess is a modern lady, she doesn't need a teddy bear, she's quite happy with her cell," he deadpanned and really enjoyed this light mood.

"Well as I said, she's got that from her father's side", Calleigh smiled at him and was glad that he seemed to be in such a good mood. It would probably give her a chance to approach the subject.

"How was your holiday?"

"Huh?" she shook her head and cleared her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I just asked if you had a nice holiday." Horatio repeated his question.

"Yeah…yeah it was actually pretty good. Well, better than I originally thought anyway," she told him.

"Hmm," he mused, not entirely sure of what to say.

Sensing that, she elaborated her statement. "Well, my mom was in a good mood and I got to see my nieces and nephews. Not to forget my sister-in-laws and my brothers. We had a good time together. A big home coming BBQ…I had the time to go for a small ride with one of our horses..," she told him with a dreamy look.

"Sounds really nice. Well, except of the horse thing probably..," he murmured, but caught her attention anyway.

"You're not into horses?" she asked with a raised eyebrow,

"Ah, no. Not necessarily. More like…the opposite," he admitted. It wasn't like he didn't like them, they were just too big for his own liking.

"That's fine, I was just happy that I had the chance again, though I felt it for the next days," she chuckled.

"I bet," he smiled to himself. "But it's good to hear that you had such a nice holiday. And technically you _are_ still on holiday," he continued with a sigh.

"So? As far as I know, I haven't worked today," she shook her head and didn't even want to hear another apologize coming from him. "You don't have any reason to apologize, okay Horatio? It's me who actually has."

This got his attention. "How so?"

"Well," she sighed and tried to find the best words. "This afternoon, I sliced an apple and don't ask me why, but I cut myself. It started bleeding and since I didn't want to spoil something I went in search for a plaster."

He looked at her concerned. "Okay? Where did you cut yourself?" he asked her in a typical fatherly tone.

"Just here," she smiled and showed him her finger. "Well, anyway, I went in search for a plaster and found one in your medicine chest in your bathroom. I'm sorry that I invaded your privacy…" She had entered his bedroom after all.

"Oh, there's nothing to be sorry for, Cal. I'm just glad you found something," he put her off. She didn't have to worry about that.

"Yeah, actually…actually I found more than I was originally looking for", she said slowly and when she saw his questioning look, she retrieved a small orange bottle out of her pocket.

Horatio swallowed hard when he saw the bottle and immediately broke off the eye contact he had had with Calleigh. He didn't need to have a second look, neither to see which bottle she had found, nor to see her disapproving face. It wasn't that he cursed himself for not hiding it better, but that didn't mean that he had to like the situation he was in now.

Calleigh recognized his behavior immediately. He was probably embarrassed of being 'caught' and wanted her to drop the subject; something she didn't intend to do. "Horatio?" she tried to encourage him.

"What do you want me to say?" he countered.

"Whatever you want to tell me," she answered him calmly and hoped that she didn't need to investigate him but that he would talk voluntary.


	8. Chapter 72

_**Thank you all for your reviews.**_

**Chapter 7.2**

"I guess they speak for themselves, don't they?" he asked in a bitter tone.

Calleigh just sighed, that what she'd been afraid of – Horatio closing up. "They do…in a way," she agreed with him. "But I'm more worried about the reason _why _you have to use them, you know?" When she just got a huff in response she grabbed the bottle again. "It wasn't Alexx who prescribed them to you, right?" she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"No," he shook his head slowly. "She wasn't," he said softly.

"Why?" she asked back as softly.

Horatio sighed. "Because I didn't want her to know. Didn't want her to be worried about me. And because I didn't want anyone else to find out."

Calleigh tilted her head the way he usually did. "How do you mean? Do you think Alexx would spill that?" she asked confused and a bit hurt that he could actually think that.

"No. Not like that. But it could get out, with Stetler sniffling around 24/7 and it doesn't concern my job, its private," he stated.

She could understand the fact about Stetler, but otherwise she couldn't. But this was not the time to argue. "Okay. So you went to this Dr.-," she looked at the bottle, "Andrews, and he prescribed you sleeping pills?" she asked and when she remembered it correctly, they were pretty strong ones too. Seeing his nod she wondered of how to proceed. "Since when are you taking them? Is this the first bottle?" According to the prescription date they were only one week old and it seemed like he hadn't taken a lot since then.

"Yes, he did and no…probably not," he hung his head and tried to ignore her gasp.

"Probably not? Horatio since when do you have problems with sleeping?" she asked genuinely concerned. If this was already the second, or worse the third or fourth bottle, he not only had been sleeping problems for months, but he was also heading straight towards to an addiction.

Well if he had to answer that honestly, then it would be for his whole adulthood. Ever since this disastrous day so many years ago, he fought with an almost constant insomnia, which allowed him rarely more than four or five hours of sleep a night if at all. But he had never taken any medicine for it. "For a few months...," he mumbled under his breath. His insomnia had gotten better the months he had shared his bed with Marisol, but after her death it had started again, probably even stronger than before.

Calleigh wasn't sure if she'd heard correctly. "A few months?" she repeated in disbelief. "Why didn't you say something?"

"It's nothing that I can't handle by myself," he replied a bit annoyed.

With a huff she put the bottle back onto the table. "Well yeah I can see that," she snapped inadvertently and immediately tried to sooth the situation again. "Listen, I'm sorry. It's just that…I mean…we both know that sleeping pills can lead into addiction and they don't cure the reason for your problems."

"I know…I know..," he nodded. He knew only too well how quickly they could lead into addiction and the fact that his family had quite a streak when it came to drug addiction didn't make it better. "I don't take them often, just sometimes...," he tried to banalise it.

Calleigh dearly hoped that he was saying the truth. But nevertheless, she was still worried of course. "So when do you use them? Has it something to do with the job?"

"I..no..," he ran a hand over his face. "It's not only the job..it's…it's my whole life at the moment.

She laid an encouraging hand on his shoulder. "Tell me," she prompted him softly.

"It's just…I can't take a break…there's the job and when I get home, there's Elena and I have to be there for her. I mean..I love my daughter with all my heart and I do love my job..," he sighed. "And sometimes that's all what's left of me..the job and being a father. There's no 'me' anymore and the only time where I can get away from it all is at night, when Elena is in bed and then…I can't sleep. I just can't...," he shook his head.

Calleigh smiled sadly at this. "You know, it's okay for you to feel like this. I can only imagine what it must feel like to have such a big responsibility and I'm sure that no one would object if you'd ask for a night off..," she said but was interrupted.

"I can't Calleigh. I'm already living under the magnifying glass of the authorities as a single father. When they find out that I'm not able to do my job and to be a good father, they will take her from me."

"What? No, no Horatio," she quickly shook her head. "They wouldn't do that to you or Elena. You're the best father she could ever have. You'd do anything for her and you love her. That's more than most people could say. Please, don't think like that."

Horatio just rested his elbows on his knees and bowed his head. Slowly, as if to smooth away the tension, he ran both hands through his hair. "It's not how it was supposed to be," he whispered. "It wasn't supposed to be just Elena and me. It was supposed to be Elena, Marisol and me."

"Oh Horatio," Cal whispered and wrapped one arm around him, in order to give him some kind of comfort. She could only imagine what he was going through. Not only losing his wife, but also the mother to his child and therefore being a single parent.

"I feel so bad for even thinking about leaving Elena alone. It's like betraying Marisol's faith in me and my abilities as a father," he sighed softly and leaned a bit into her embrace and the comfort she was offering.

"Don't do that, Horatio. I'm sure that Marisol is very proud of you and the way you're doing your job as a father. And I'm sure she's just as sad as you are. She knows that you're hurting, but she can't help you," Calleigh whispered and decided to lose the embrace. She didn't let go of him though, but began to stroke his back. "You still miss her, don't you?"

Horatio gave her a silent nod. He was missing her every time he entered the nursery and Elena greeted him with a bright smile, just like her mother's. He missed her presence in the house which already started to fade and he hated the fact. He wanted to keep her spirit in the house, but the same time he couldn't stop to change little things. "..so much..," he mumbled and took a deep breath.

"I can only imagine, Horatio, I can only imagine the pain you're going through," Calleigh said softly and noticed that he wiped away a lonely tear angrily. This was so Horatio. He was always the first one who would offer his help and comfort, but the same time he didn't allow this for himself. "You know…I know someone who always tells me that it'll help to talk about my problems and I think he's right about that," she told him and hoped to receive a positive reaction.

Horatio knew only too well who exactly she was talking about and it didn't sound as good as it did when it was him giving the advice to others. "I think you should probably get new friends, when they give you such advices," he smiled sadly and looked up a bit.

"Probably, but I'm quite fond of them," she bantered back and gave him an encouraging smile. "People say I'm a good listener, why don't you try it out?"

"I don't even know where I should begin," he sighed and leaned back against the couch.

"Well, what about the beginning?" she teased him and rested her hand on his knee. "Or what about, whatever bugs you the most? Tell me why you can't sleep…or tell me something different. Just start somewhere and I promise that I'll be there wherever you finish," she encouraged him and squeezed his knee. "I hope you can trust me that far."

"I do…I trust you with my life," he nodded.

"Then trust me with your fears."

And he did.

He told her about the dreams which turned into nightmares almost every time. He told her about the little things that haunted him every day; the things that reminded him of Marisol and the fact that he was alone again. He told her about the lonely feeling he had when he went to bed alone and the heartache he felt when he woke up and reached for her, but only found a cold bed side.

He told her about his guilty feeling that he had agreed to the pregnancy. He had been happy to make her wish come true and he loved being a father. But the same time this had been the reason why Marisol was dead now. He told her that it felt like it had been his fault alone and even though Calleigh tried to reason with him that it was anything but his fault, it was hard for him to believe that.

Both, he and Calleigh couldn't tell when he had started to let go of all the emotions he had locked up, because of Elena's wellbeing, but in the end he had lost this fight and Calleigh accepted it as a wonderful gift. Seeing him cry and actually start to grieve for his late wife and the fact that he let his walls down in front of her made her overly proud. And when he finally fell asleep because of the emotions and the tiredness, she had never seen something more beautiful before in her life.

Carefully, if not to wake him, she was now running her fingers through his hair, his head resting in her lap. She was murmuring soft words of comfort and only now she let her own tears fall. She felt so sad for his loss and the turmoil he was going through; not to forget of fact that he thought that he had to do it all alone. She wanted to take away all his pain and yet she knew all too well that she couldn't.

And she felt sad because of herself, because this man on the couch was, understandably, grieving for a woman that would never come back again and the same time she knew that she was falling for him more and more. She desperately wanted to be his friend, his anchor, but the same time she also wanted to be more and she knew that he couldn't and probably wouldn't ever give that to her.

***

When Horatio woke up the next morning, he knew two things –this definitely wasn't his bed he was lying on and his back was a little stiff. The question just became where was he? And why wasn't he in his bedroom anyway?

Carefully he cracked one eye open and took in his surroundings. He was in his living room; that much he could say. And this also answered his questions about what he was lying on and why his back was stiff. Curiously he also opened his second eye and immediately wished he hadn't. There was a dull pain in his head and his eyes felt sore. With a small moan he closed them again and ran a hand over his face. More and more of the previous night came back and the more he remembered the more he wanted to forget.

Had he really spilled his guts to Calleigh? He groaned. And most of all had he really cried in front of her? He groaned even more. The last thing that he could remember was sitting with her on the couch, resting his head in her lap and telling her about all the things that had bothered him for the last months. This was not good. Not good at all.

Slowly he sat up and only then he noticed the Quilt which was covering him. A small smile crossed his face. It had been his mother's and after her death he had made it his own. She had always covered him with the Quilt when he had been resting on the couch, which had been mostly when he had been sick. The fact that Calleigh had done the same, though he wasn't sick, warmed his heart.

_Calleigh._

_Damn._

He had fallen asleep on her. This was really embarrassing.

With a groan he rested his head against the couch and massaged his temples to get rid of the dull pain. When he opened his eyes again, his look fell automatically on the radio-controlled clock on his bookshelf, which told him the time. It was already 8:30 a.m. which not only meant that he had slept 8 hours through, but also that Elena must be already awake.

_Elena._

With a start he got up and searched frantically for the baby monitor, which wasn't any longer on the couch table where it had been the night before. It was then when he heard a voice and faint noises from the kitchen.

In the kitchen Calleigh was busy preparing the breakfast one handed, since she was holding Elena with the other. She had left Horatio that night alone on the couch, after she had freed herself from him and had covered him with the only kind of blanket she had found. Afterwards she had taken the baby monitor with her upstairs, hoping that Horatio could sleep through the night and Elena wouldn't wake him up during the night.

She had spent the night in his small guest room and after a refreshing shower this morning and getting dressed, she had changed Elena. She took more and more pleasure of doing so and after she had checked on Horatio she had decided to make them some breakfast. Her thoughts were still running about the previous night of course and she dearly hoped that Horatio had broken through some walls and the healing process could begin now.

"So what do you think would your daddy like, Sweetie?" she asked Elena, who was lulling on a soft roll. "Is he more the pancakes or the bagel type, hm? Or does he just drink some coffee, huh?" she laughed and gently nudged Elena's belly. The squeal of delight she got in response made her heart melt in an instant. This child was absolutely adorable. She had Marisol's dark brown hair, but Horatio's bright blue eyes and Calleigh hoped that they would stay this blue. In a few years she would have the boys falling head over heels for her and Horatio would have a hard time to keep them away with a stick. Giggling at this thought, she shook her head and jumped slightly when she heard his voice behind her.

"Actually, it's a muffin and a coffee."

"Horatio!" she spun around and gave him one of her mega watt smiles to hide her embarrassment about being overheard. "You gave us quite a shock," she chided him and took in his rather rumbled appearance. His suit was wrinkled due to the night spend on the couch, his hair was ruffled, his eyes were a bit swollen but nevertheless he also looked determined. She took that as a good sign. "Good morning," she chirped and Elena joined in with a loud "Oooo" and reached out her tiny arms for him.

"Good morning to you too, Cal," he replied and immediately walked to his daughter. He hadn't seen her for almost a day and he missed her a great deal. "And a good morning to you too, Ellie," he grinned and took her in his arms. "How's my favorite girl, today?" he cooed and kissed and nuzzled her cheek, which made Elena laugh, since his stubbles tickled her. "That good, huh?" he asked her and laughed when she reached for his scratchy cheeks.

Calleigh just smiled at this scene and was happy that Horatio seemed to be so relaxed. He always was when he was with Elena, but still, it was a good sign. "I guess someone needs to shave," she teased him and turned around to continue with her work.

"Probably, yes," he nodded and watched her for some time. "What are you doing?"

"Making breakfast?" she turned around and smiled at him.

"You...you don't have to do that, Cal. I mean…it's bad enough that I…uh...well fell asleep on you yesterday," he blushed slightly because this was absolutely embarrassing for him, "and that you had to stay here overnight. I can't let you slave in the kitchen for me…us. You're still on vacation and I prevent you from having some rest."

"Horatio," she sighed and kept herself from rolling her eyes, "when was the last time that you slept 8 hours through the night, without the help of a pill?"

Confused he looked at her and stopped Elena gently from feeding him with her roll. "Actually...," he tilted his head and had to think about it, "I can't remember exactly," he admitted.

"Good. That's all I wanted to hear. And now shoo, have a shower and get into clean clothes. Meanwhile this little princess and me will prepare the breakfast," she smiled charmingly at him and took Elena in her arms again. She loved it when Horatio looked dumbfounded. This was such a rare sight.

"But-," he tried to argue, but her shooing noises didn't give him any chance. "Okay then," he relented and raised his arms in defeat. There was no way that he could win against two women, so he just gave them their will. And Cal was actually quite right about a shower and clean clothes. It wasn't very comfortable to sleep in your suit. "I'll be back in 15," he told them, though he was quite sure that they weren't exactly listening to him anyway. On his way to the bathroom he made plans for the rest of the day. He needed to go grocery shopping, he had to call the lab and ask for the autopsy results and then a walk in the park seemed like a very good idea. He needed some fresh air and Elena too. Plus, he could spend time with her which was always good.

_**Tbc**_

**Please read and review. You know the drill^^**


	9. Chapter 81

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. They meant a lot to me**

**Chapter 8.1**

A few hours later, it was already early afternoon, Horatio and Elena were walking through one of the smaller parks near their home, just like he had planned this morning. Well, it was actually Horatio walking while Elena was sitting in her pushchair and they both enjoyed the quiet, which such a walk was offering.

The morning had been a pleasure. After his quick shower, he had noted with a warm feeling inside, that Calleigh and Elena had already been waiting for him to start breakfast. It was nice to be able to talk to someone at breakfast after all these lonely and quiet months. It wasn't that he didn't talk to Elena, because he did, but getting a verbal response was something entirely different.

After breakfast, Calleigh had left them and Horatio had taken the chance to call the lab, to find out the state of the case and fortunately his first impression had been confirmed. It had been a death by natural cause which virtually meant that he had the day off and could spend it with his daughter.

He had given her a bath and afterwards they had played together, till midday when he had prepared their lunch. Afterwards, both had taken a nap on the couch, which meant that Elena had slept on his chest while he had lain on the couch. He loved these moments, where he could be so close to his daughter and he was positive that she enjoyed it as much as he did. The fact that she seemed to search for his heartbeat and always rested her head above his heart gave him confirmation to that. And for him, there was nothing more beautiful than watching his daughter sleeping peacefully and meanwhile running his fingers through her soft dark hair. It was like he wanted to make up for the lack of time they had together during the week and this was also a reason why his weekends off were so important to him.

After their little nap, Horatio had checked the weather and since it wasn't too sticky, he had decided that a walk in the park would be perfect to end such a nice day. So he had packed a bag, dressed Elena for a day out and together they had driven to a nearby park, that Horatio knew that it wouldn't be too crowded at this time of the day.

The trees caused shadows on the paths which made the walking very comfortable. It was still warm of course, but Horatio certainly didn't sweat in his light polo shirt and jeans he was currently wearing. His ever present sunglasses were tucked around his neck, since it was too dark to wear them, but Horatio didn't mind at all. In actual fact, he tried to avoid wearing the glasses while he was with Elena, because he wanted her to be able to see his eyes and the emotions they held for her. He didn't want to have a barrier between himself and his daughter; there was no use in doing so.

He had never imagined that he could find such kind of peace he was experiencing every time when he was with Elena. She had the ability to calm him, something he had never felt before. He felt so utterly content, that he still wondered sometimes if this was just a dream. Of course, he had always thought about of how it would be as a father in the past, but he had never imagined it like that. He had never imagined that his job would come second. A few years ago, no actually a few months ago, this hadn't been imaginable, but life had disabused him. Again. Not that he minded it, quite the opposite to be exact.

While his inner musings about life itself, they had came by a big public green space, where some families were having a picnic. Stopping the pushchair he walked around it and crouched down next to the chair, so he could have a look at Elena. "Hey there," he smiled at her. "Are you still awake?" he chuckled and opened the belt in order to lift her out. "What do you think? Should we watch the football game?" he asked her and turned towards the green, where a few young boys were playing with their fathers.

Elena just laughed and watched the game intently, or so it seemed. "Ooooh!" she announced and reached out her arm.

Horatio just laughed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Ellie, but I'm afraid that you're still a bit too young for that. But I'm sure that we can play some football in the future." Not that he believed for one moment that his daughter would be the typical football-type of girl, at least not when she took after her mother, but he would never stop her and telling her that she wasn't allowed to practice such a sport.

Elena did her version of a pout when she turned her head towards him, but this didn't hold for long. With a squeal she reached for her father's sunglasses and before Horatio could even react, she had one glass in her mouth and was on it, much to the dismay of her father, who was shocked.

"Ohh Elena," he tried to talk insistently to her. "You have to give them back…" This had never happened before, but his daughter was full of surprises. "Will you give them back?" he asked her and groaned inwardly when she strengthened her hold onto the glasses. Now he was in a dilemma. It wasn't that he was obsessed by his glasses, like others had joked on more than one occasion, but they were expensive and definitely not a baby toy. "Elena," he said a bit more firmly and tried to loosen her grip, oblivious to the fact that they were being watched from a distance.

"You know, you should give her her favorite toy and she might give you yours back."

Surprised, Horatio spun around and looked at his visitor. "Uhm..," he brought out eloquently.

"My, Horatio Caine a loss of words, now this must be a first."

"Funny," he mumbled and took in the appearance of his visitor. "I didn't know that you're into jogging?" he asked and referred to the jogging outfit. He had to admit, that it looked really nice, considering that it fitted her in all the right places and it was black.

"Sometimes a woman gotta do what a woman's gotta do to stay fit and doesn't put on a few stones," she laughed and packed away her iPod. "And I love jogging in a park, there's always a nice temperature and you meet a lot of different people," she added. "Like a desperate father who needs his sunglasses back again," she giggled and winked at him.

Elena made pleased noises and laughed, but didn't let go of the glasses.

"I'm not desperate, I just don't want Ellie to hurt herself. The glass could burst and that's dangerous," Horatio countered and raised one eyebrow to underline his statement.

She didn't doubt that he was afraid that Elena could hurt herself, but she was pretty sure, that this wasn't the only reason he wanted his glasses back. "Mhm," she grinned at him and stroked Elena's cheek.

"So what's your suggestion, oh great adviser?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm, which she decided to ignore.

"That's very easy Mr. Caine, watch and learn," she nodded and rummaged around in the pushchair, till she found what she was looking for – a small teddy. "Look what I have here, Elena," she cooed and waggled the toy before the child's nose.

Horatio did as he was told and watched…and became wide eyed when Elena really let go of his sunglasses to get Mr. Bear. He quickly caught them and nodded in appreciation "I'm positively surprised Ms. Duquesne and apologize for my faithlessness."

Calleigh gave him a satisfied look and laughed when he pulled a face when he noticed the drool on his glasses. "I can hold her while you clean and adjust the glasses," she offered him.

Calleigh knew him too well. "Thanks," he nodded and grabbed for a tissue to get rid of his daughter's drool. "Teaches me of not to wear them around my neck," he mumbled more to himself, but Calleigh heard it anyway.

"I guess there's nothing you can do about it. In this age, they grab at everything. When I visited my brother one year, I wore a chain with a pendant. My nephew grabbed it the second he saw it…the other time I wore my hair down…now that had hurt," she sighed and kissed Elena's cheek. "I'm sure Elena just loves them as much as you do," she teased him.

"I'm not obsessed with them," he stated and tried them on.

"And I never said that," she shot back playfully and helped him to adjust the glasses. "I'm not sure, but you probably need to see the optician. They're a bit crooked."

"Well it definitely is a good thing, that they're quite flexible and that I own a second pair, but yes, you're right. I should probably stop by at an optician if I have the time. But let's concentrate on the important facts. What are you doing here?"

"Mhm…jogging?" she said teasingly and tilted her head.

"Very funny, no, what I meant was, that I'm pretty sure that I've never seen you here before," he explained and waited for an answer.

"I knew that," she smiled and nodded in agreement, when Horatio silently suggested going on walking. "But to answer your question, there's a festival in my park and you can imagine that it's overcrowded due to that. So I drove to the next nearest park and it happened to be this one. It's really nice by the way, are you here often?"

"Well, if we have the time for that, then yes. It's not that far away from home and it's quiet. It had given me some kind of comfort and calmness in the past and now I want to share it with my daughter," he explained and pushed the chair, while Calleigh was walking alongside with Elena in her arms.

"Ah," she nodded in understanding and knew that he was referring to the times, when he had went here after a bad case, mostly when children had happened to be the victims. The team knew that there were only two places where Horatio would go to after a bad day and this was the beach or the park. She just hadn't known that it was this park in particular.

"So jogging?" he interrupted her thoughts and looked at her curiously.

"Mhm, jogging," she nodded, knowing that he wanted to hear more and since she had a good day, she would give him an explanation. "I started it a few months ago actually. I'm not the type to go into a crowded gym, with Bodybuilders pinning on every female customer. That's quite annoying, especially when they think that their so called tips give them some kind of free ticket for an _adventure_."

Nodding in understanding, Horatio knew what kind of adventure she was talking about. "Well I can imagine," he said, "it's a known fact that most musclemen don't have anything more than their muscles," he continued. "So that's why you started jogging?"

"Pretty much, yes. At first I found it a bit boring, but it's kinda addictive in a good way. It's a good stress-reliever and you're doing something for your health the same time."

"Well at least more than hiding in the gun range, huh?" he teased her.

Calleigh couldn't help but blush. It was one of her secrets, only a few people know of. "Yeah, you could say so." Quickly she thought about a whole different subject, because she didn't want to give Horatio the upper hand. As much as she loved teasing, it was just half so funny when you were at the receiving end. "So how was your day?"

Noticing the abrupt change of subject Horatio just raised his eyebrow but answered her anyway. "Oh it was really nice and relaxed. My first assumption about the case was proved correct and so I didn't have to come back to the lab again."

"That's good to hear." It was quite rare that they had cases that turned out to be no crimes, so this was always something special.

"Yeah definitely," he nodded. "I just have to do the paperwork tomorrow, talk to the chief and that's it," Horatio agreed. "So how was your day so far?"

"Oh..quiet..but oh..did I tell you about Eric's proposal?" she smiled at him.

"Proposal?" Horatio asked confused. Have the two been dating? No, Eric would have told him.

"Not the 'do-you-want-to-marry-me' kind of proposal," she laughed when she saw the wheels turning in his head. "He asked me if I want to go scuba-diving with him," she explained and nudged his side playfully. "You and your thoughts," she told him with a mock glare. Eric was her younger brother, nothing more nothing less. Her heart belonged to someone else.

Sheepishly, Horatio decided to leave this particular subject alone. "Scuba-diving?" he asked. "Well that should be interesting…" He had never done it before and he actually wasn't sure if he wanted to. He wasn't that adventurous when it came to such things, but Calleigh? Yeah, he could definitely imagine that.

"Hm, yeah I have no idea why he asked me..," she thought out loud. "Ryan, who was in the same room when Eric had asked me, just said that he wants to see me in a wetsuit and I guess I don't have to mention that Eric wanted to slap him," she laughed.

"Nope, you don't have to," Horatio grinned, knowing all too well about the constant quarrels between these two. "Boys will be boys…"

tbc

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	10. Chapter 82

**Chapter 8.2**

45 minutes later, or better said after one complete walk through the park, Calleigh was sitting on one of the wooden benches while Elena was taking a nap in her chair. Horatio had left them a few minutes ago in order to buy them some ice cream from a near iceman and before Calleigh could have stopped him, he had already been on his way. So all she could do now was wait for him while reliving the last hour in her mind.

What had started as a work out for her had ended in a very enjoyable walk with Horatio and Elena. Because instead of leaving them on their own, she had decided to spend the time with them and she was pretty sure that Horatio hadn't minded it at all. She knew what it felt like to have no one to talk to at home and even though Horatio had his daughter, it wasn't the same as with another adult.

Of course she had eyed him secretly during their walk and had noticed a slight change in his behavior. He seemed to be less stressed, his shoulders weren't as slumped as they had been in the last few months, there had been a little spring in his step and he had laughed more than he had done before. She dearly hoped that it had something to do with their conversation from last night and that he actually started to live again, namely for himself and not only for Elena. And if she had helped him with that, she was very happy. She knew that he had never been a very social man but that he tended to be on his own, but after Marisol's death he had gone more and more into his shell. So the fact that he had – hopefully - enjoyed her presence as much as she had his, warmed her heart and showed her once again that she was falling for him.

"_And this is anything but good," _she thought to herself and bend forward to have a look at Elena, who was still sleeping peacefully. Calleigh wasn't about to say that she loved Elena like her own, but she had to admit that this young lady had captured her heart as much as her father had. She enjoyed spending time with them, like a family, and this made the situation even harder for her.

Sighing, she leaned back again and turned her head in the hope to spot the reason for the turmoil of her feelings. She still couldn't believe that Horatio Caine actually ate ice cream, because he just didn't seem to be the ice cream type. Then again, she couldn't say what kind of _type_ he was anyway. Due to his own chosen solitude and the fact that team had never pushed him to spend time with them, it was hard to say what he liked and what he didn't. What kind of hobbies did he like? What was his favorite food? Favorite drink? What was he doing in his free time? What was his favorite book?

She could answer all these questions from everyone in the team, but not from Horatio. He was like a living mystery and now that she had started to – albeit slowly - discover a new facet here and there that made him the man she knew, she became a bit addicted. She wanted to get to know the real Horatio Caine and not only Lt. Caine who she knew from the lab. She was convinced that the man would be a very interesting contemporary.

"I hope you didn't have to wait for so long," Horatio interrupted her thoughts from behind and walked around the bench with two ice cream tubs in his hands.

"Stop scaring me like that," she chided him and really hadn't heard him approaching.

"Sorry, but you were pretty out of it," he said sheepishly and presented her one tub. "I hope you accept this as an apology for…scaring you and for interrupting your plans on more than one occasion," he continued and sat down next to her.

"But just once," she smiled and looked at her ice cream. "What do you mean by 'interrupting your plans'?" she asked him curiously.

"Well…yesterday you had to change your plans for the day," he shrugged and spooned some of his ice cream, "and instead of jogging you went for a walk with me and Ellie today. That's what I mean. It seems like I have a talent of interrupting you."

"Well I don't mind interruptions when they're so nice," she smiled at him. "So like I told you yesterday and this morning, you didn't interrupt anything and I had a great time thanks to you and Elena. So no more apologies please, okay?"

"Okay," he answered softly and ate his ice cream. He just had a hard to time to accept help and being somehow dependent on other people's goodwill.

"So what did you bring me?" she asked him and tried to change the subject, because she saw that he was a bit self-conscious; also a very new side of him.

"Why don't you try it out?" he gave her a small smile and hoped that he had chosen some flavors after her liking.

"Okay," she drawled and took the first bite. "Ah that's easy," she smiled and licked her lips. "it's pistachio, right?"

"Very good, yes. I hope you like it?"

"Definitely, it's one of my favorite flavors actually," she reassured him before she tried the other. "I know that I tasted it before," she mumbled to herself and stick out her tongue to him, because he was enjoying that too much for her liking. "Okay, great ice man, what is it?"

"Blackberry," he answered her truthfully and enjoyed his own ice cream, satisfied that she seemed to like his choices.

"Ah..," she nodded in recognition. "Well it's very good, thank you."

"You're very welcome, Calleigh."

"So what do you have? I can see that it's chocolate, but what's the other?" she asked intrigued.

"Banana, it's chocolate and banana actually."

"Chocolate and banana?" she asked surprised. "My, that's a bold combination." Especially for Horatio Caine. She had thought about something mundane like vanilla, but banana?

Noticing her disbelieving face, he just sighed and held out his tub for her. "It's the opposite in fact. Chocolate and banana harmonize very well together. Have a try," he urged her.

"Are you sure?" She asked and when he nodded she did as she was told.

"So? What do you think?"

"It's…it's actually really good," she said, the surprise clearly notable.

"See? I told you so," he nodded satisfied and continued eating.

"Yeah, yeah" she laughed and enjoyed her snack. "So how did you discover this combination?" she asked.

Horatio just shrugged in response. "I like ice cream a lot and am not afraid to try something new."

And again she had learned something new about him today. "To be honest I never picked you for the typical ice cream type of guy," she admitted.

"Well there are a lot of things people don't know about me," he answered her secretively. For example the fact that he had what people called a sweet tooth. He didn't spread around this fact and only a very few people know about it actually, but he loved sweets in any way.

Realizing that he wasn't about to reveal more and that every probing question would force him away, Calleigh decided to let it go for now. She had learned so much in the last two days that she didn't want to appear greedy. "I'm sure there are," she just smiled and scooped her ice cream. His secrets were safe with her that was for sure.

Horatio nodded in acceptance and grinned when he saw that Elena had woken up during their small talk. "Hey there, Ellie," he said and put the tub onto the bench in order to lift her out of the chair. "Did you have a nice nap?" he asked her and kissed her temple.

Elena was still a bit sleepy and rubbed her eyes, but she certainly didn't want to miss anything more about what the adults have been doing. Horatio had noticed that for the last days and had often been surprised when Elena had followed him through the house, when he had thought he could leave her on the floor instead of the playpen. It really seemed like she wanted to know what he was doing every second.

"Well fresh air can have this effect," Cal laughed and found this picture highly adorable.

"Yeah, it's either that or the fact that she'd found out about the ice cream," Horatio grinned and lifted her on his lap. "Right, Ellie? You don't like to be left out, huh?" he said and grabbed his tub again, which attracted Ellie's attention immediately.

"Oooooohhh," she cooed and reached for the tub, but this time Horatio was quick enough. He didn't want to relive the whole sunglasses-in-death-grip situation again.

"You want to try that out, right Sweetness?" he talked to her and scooped up a bit from the already melted ice cream. "Mhmmm that's yummy," he cooed and laughed heartedly when Elena became wide-eyed and struggled with her arms.

"It seems to me that you aren't the only Caine in the family who loves ice cream," Calleigh commented and was over the moon with this. This would have been the perfect scene for a photo, but she didn't have her camera with her. Sometimes life was just unfair.

"You're probably right about that," Horatio agreed and fed his daughter again. He knew that it wasn't healthy for a baby to eat too many sweets, but he was sure that a few tiny spoons of molten ice cream wouldn't do any harm. "We just shouldn't tell that to uncle Eric, or he will feed you with sweets the next time he babysits you, right Ellie?" he laughed.

"Oh I'm sure he wouldn't do that," Calleigh tried to defend her friend. "He's a good uncle, he's responsible and acts like an adult and...," she stopped and thought about what she had just said. "Well we probably shouldn't tell him," she concluded and rolled her eyes when Horatio smirked at her. "But he's a great uncle," she persisted and Horatio couldn't agree more.

"He definitely is and he loves Elena very much," Horatio nodded. "And I've been joking, I'm sure that he wouldn't feed her with sweets, because if his mother finds out, she'll pull him by his ears and gives him a right royal dressing down." All Delko women had quite a temper and no man stood a chance against them.

"Well it's almost worth to see, but no…not with Elena as our bait," Cal said and threw her and now also Horatio's empty tub into a near garbage can. "Thanks again for this wonderful snack."

"Well that was the least I could do," he smiled and when he noticed the time, he knew that they needed to get home because Elena would get hungry soon and in fact, so did he. "And I'm sorry if we have to cut this short, but I think Elena and I need to get home, it's almost dinner time for us," he apologized, but was stopped by Calleigh immediately.

"You don't have to be sorry, Horatio. I need to get home too. Why don't I accompany you two to the parking lot? You're here with the car, aren't you?"

"Oh we definitely are," he said and put Elena back into the chair. As much as he enjoyed walking in a park, he disliked walking along a busy street. "Aren't you too?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe," she drawled and waited for the two to get ready so they could make their way to their cars.

"I thought so," he chuckled. "I'm very happy that we met here, Cal. I had a great time today." He needed to tell her that, because it was the truth. Calleigh was a nice company to have and she actually made him forget about all the bad things in his life, even if it was just for a few hours.

"Me too, Handsome, me too," she replied and actually didn't want to let it end, but knew that there was no way to ask him if she should go home with them. She was just a friend after all and she didn't want to scare him away. Their friendship was far too precious for that. She needed to show him that he could trust her and that she wouldn't hurt him like others had done before. The question was just how and if he had any interest in her at all. But for now, she just enjoyed his company to its fullest and was looking forward what the future would bring.

_**Tbc**_

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	11. Chapter 91

**Chapter 9****.1**

It was a quiet Saturday noon, when Horatio loaded the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. He had made himself a light lunch, just some stir fry because it was incredible muggy today. No wonder, since it had been raining since this morning and hadn't stopped only for a minute. And when he was talking about raining, it wasn't this nice type of rain where it would actually cool down the temperature, no it was more like the 'cats and dogs' type of rain, where every second outside without a jacket or an umbrella would wet you to the skin.

Actually, he had wanted to go outside and do some gardening, but luck hadn't been on his side. And even if it would stop raining now, the grass would be so wet, that it was actually more mud than anything else. Gardening was one of his secret hobbies. He loved spending time in his garden and work on it. Of course, most men liked mowing or painting the famous white picket fence, but Horatio actually loved planting different type of plants and in fact he also enjoyed raking and weeding the garden. The garden was his small refuge where he could unwind after a bad day at work and so the rain didn't suit in his plans at all.

Sighing, he grabbed Elena's small pink plate and the fitting pink spoon and put the items into the washer as well. His daughter was already the typical girl and loved everything that was pink or at least reddish.

"_Guess that's why she's so fascinated about my hair,"_ he thought to himself and closed the dish washer with a chuckle. With dread he thought about the future when Elena would be old enough to go shopping and everything she would be interested in were pink girly clothes. _"I should probably send Eric or Mr. Wolfe with her,"_ he smirked. They were wearing this color after all. He wasn't sure if this was 'en vogue' at the moment for men to wear pink, but for once in his life he was happy to have red hair. There was no way that he could follow this fashion trend. Not that he wanted to anyway.

"_But then again, the boys would only try to flirt with other women,"_ he mused and rolled his eyes. _"Well then it has to be Frank or Rick. They're also wearing these colors." _Just when he ended this line of thought he had to shudder. Rick and Frank weren't exactly perfect role models for fashion. When he thought about the strange combinations of shirts and loud ties, he pulled a face. No, there was no way that Elena would go shopping with them; he didn't want his daughter to look like a parrot.

"Well then it's me…," he sighed and had to laugh about himself. Elena was only seven months old and he was already thinking about going shopping. "You overdo things, Horatio," he admonished himself and smiled broadly when he heard the distinctive noise of small hands slapping against the tiled floor. Not to forget the laughing and babbling of a little curios girl who was searching for her daddy again.

"Oh Ellie," he grinned and turned around the exact moment where his daughter was turning the corner and entered the kitchen. "You little whirlwind," he chided her playfully and crouched down to gather her in his arms. "I told you that daddy has to clean the kitchen, hm?" he told her and lifted her up. "And I thought that you would stay in the living room for a few moments alone," he continued and got a laugh in response. "Yeah, I know you're curious about what daddy is doing all the time," he shook his head and could only wonder where she got her energy from. It must be from the Delko side of the family, because the Caines had always been rather calm and unhurried. But since she had started to crawl, Horatio had always to be on the go, because Ellie loved to explore the house.

Of course, Horatio had made the house baby-secure months ago, but when it came to his daughter, he had to be on guard. Just one moment of negligence and there would be a mishap. He had learned that first hand when Elena had found out that playing with the sword fern was a lot of fun. Not only ripping its leaves into pieces, but knock it over so you can get hold onto the flower soil and redecorate the living room's wallpaper.

It had reminded him of the early mural arts and as much as he was into human history, he didn't want to have it displayed in his own house. Therefore his only chance had been to put all plants onto the windowsill (after he had cleaned up the mess much to his daughter's dismay) so he could be sure to not let this happen again. Of course all his plants were nontoxic, but you never knew. What he knew though was that he learned something new every day, just like his daughter did.

"But as you can see Daddy has already finished his super interesting task," he told her and looked at the kitchen clock. "And you my little princess are already overdue for your nap," he added and knew only too well, that Ellie would be cantankerous if she didn't sleep after lunch. It had happened twice, because she had set her mind onto it that she would miss something very important while sleeping and Horatio hadn't stood a chance against her bullhead, which was also from her mother's side, he was sure.

"And I promise you that you won't miss anything special today, except of Daddy dying of boredom, because the rain has ruined his plans," he explained her while he carried her upstairs to her nursery.

***

Well Horatio hadn't died of boredom, but he wasn't in a happy mood either. He hated nothing more than having nothing to do. The TV program was as dull as the weather outside and he just couldn't concentrate on one of his many books; which was no surprise in fact, since he had planned to do some manual work and reading wasn't exactly considered as such.

So it was no surprise that he was now sitting on his couch with a faint cranky expression while Elena was sleeping peacefully upstairs in her nursery. Over and over again he drummed his fingers on his thigh and willed his mind to find some occupation and the more he thought about it, the less inspiration he got in response of course.

"I should probably just head to the lab," he sighed to himself, knowing that this was not an option. "But Elena is here…hmm…well I could take her with me," he mused. "When I'm just sitting in my office and do some paperwork…but I can't let her crawl around, you never know when Rick appears and I certainly don't want to give him any fuel for his tirades." Not that he was afraid of Rick Stetler, more like the opposite. He loved their verbal fights a lot, but just when it was about them and the way Horatio's team was working. He certainly didn't want Elena to be a topic of their 'conversations'.

"But what if I take the playpen with me? Or better yet, buying another one on the way to the lab," he straightened up a bit with a smile on his face. "Yeah that's a good idea," he grinned and immediately lost it again, "but when Marta finds out about it or Alexx…or probably both...they'll have my head," he slumped back again. He knew that Eric was on call today and he knew his brother-in-law well enough that he would tell it his mother at least by accident.

"Darn," he mumbled to himself, but it was either Alexx or Marta having his head, or losing it because of the ultimate boredom he was experiencing at this very moment. "Oh well, I'll give it a try and if the girls address me, I'll tell them that I wanted to show Ellie the lab." Granted, this was a rather lousy plan, but good enough for him to get up from the couch. As a first step he needed to change his attire. It wasn't that he could show up with an old, worn M.U. T-Shirt in the lab, he had a reputation to uphold after all.

He was just about to climb the first step when suddenly the door bell rang. Stopping in his tracks, he looked to the door and had surprise written all over his face. It was still raining heavily, so he seriously doubted that one of his neighbors would ask for a cup of sugar. Salesmen weren't crazy enough to go from house to house and even some religious "fan groups" wouldn't walk around in this weather to find new followers.

Well, at least he hoped so but this was Miami and in Miami you never knew. So it was either someone with a problem or…no he couldn't think of anything else; so he just sighed and as the good police officer that he was, he walked to the door and looked through the peephole. "Oh?" he took a step back and immediately opened the door for his surprise guest. "Cal?? What are you doing here?" he greeted her and took in her rather wet appearance. Before she could answer his question, he had already gripped her arm and pulled her inside. "You're soaked," he declared and raised his brows.

Surprised Calleigh stumbled into the house and put off the cap of her rain jacket. "And hello to you too," she smiled at him and shook her head. "I'm not soaked," she told him and then looked down at herself, noticing the dark blue spots on her jeans. "Well, a bit maybe, but that's fine," she shrugged and took another step inside so Horatio could close the front door.

Horatio wasn't impressed with her taking it so calmly, but yet he couldn't help but smile. "Hi," he nodded and looked at her expectantly. "So…to what do I owe the pleasure of you dripping on my floor?" he teased.

Cal just blushed and carefully opened her jacket. "I was on my way to one of my girlfriends and thought that I could return your book; didn't want you to think that I wouldn't give it back," she explained and handed him an item which was also wrapped in a plastic bag so it wouldn't get soaked.

"I'd never picture you as someone who borrows something and won't give it back," he shook his head and unwrapped the first part of Edmond Locard's _Traité de Criminalistique_.

"Then you should never talk to the library of Darnell," she mumbled to herself and fluttered her eyelashes, when he looked at her in interest. "Oh…nothing, you're right. Since I didn't know if you might need it, I wanted to give it back to you as soon as possible," she quickly changed the subject again, before he could start to interrogate her.

"That's fine, it's been a while since I read it for the last time and to be honest…my French isn't half as good as it used to be," he ducked his head. "Do you want the second part too?"

"Seems like I have to give you some private lessons in French, right?" she teased him playfully and nodded. "That would be great, yes."

Horatio just laughed and walked into the living room, where one part of his own huge library was placed. "I guess we both don't have the time to polish up my French again, because that will take ages. I think that's something for the years after my retirement."

"So that means you'll never do it?" she quipped and made a quick decision to get out of her jacket and hang it up. Horatio was in a good mood and spending time with him was always a nice treat. Lisa could wait a few minutes longer.

Horatio just rolled his eyes at her comment and decided to ignore it. More or less. "Ha…ha. Another such comment and I'm sure I won't be able to find the book," he glared at her but the smile gave him away.

"Can't let that happen," she surrendered and looked around. "Is Elena asleep?"

"Yeah, put her to bed about an hour ago," he told her and made a "gotcha" tone when he found the book.

"So you have a little time for yourself? Well that's nice, isn't it?" At least that's what her sisters-in-law had told her.

"Normally, yes," he admitted. "But not today. There's nothing to do in the house, thanks to the rain you can't go outside and to be honest I'm bored stiff."

Calleigh gave him a sympathetic smile, since she knew exactly what he was talking about. There was nothing worse than having nothing to do with your time, especially when your mind and body are used be in action within the week. And now, doing nothing productive was torture. That was one of the reasons why she'd been on the way to her friend.

"Here you go," he walked up to her and held out the book. "I hope you'll enjoy it as much as the other one and if you want to read the third part, just tell me. And don't worry about giving it back as soon as possible; just take your time to read it. There's nothing worse than rushing through a good book."

"True, but don't come whining to me because you want to read it," she bantered. Not that she would think that Horatio Caine actually whined, but she didn't care.

"I'll do my best," he played along and escorted her to the hall. "Uh…you sure you want to drive in that rain?" he asked and didn't want to sound too cautious.

"It's just rain, Horatio. As long as my wiper works, I'm okay," she reassured him and found it adorable that her safety seemed to be so important to him. _"Probably the parental instincts,"_ she told herself, though she knew that Horatio had always kept a watchful eye on his team.

"Yeah," he nodded slowly and knew better than to argue with her. He wouldn't stand a chance. So he opened the door in mock surrender and was greeted by a beating wind and the rain which was pushed right into his direction. Carefully he took a step out and looked up into the sky and noticed the dark clouds which were forming huge creations that didn't look good. "Really, Cal, I don't think that it's a good idea to drive now," he turned his head towards his friend, who was fastening up her jacket.

"It's a little storm, we've seen worse here. It's not a hurricane," she tried to calm him and stood beside him to have a better look and hug him goodbye.

"Please Cal, I don't want you to drive." He had no intention to belittle her, because that would be of no use; he just was afraid of something happening to her. It was so easy to lose control over a car right now, with all this rain and aqua-planing. He knew that Cal was a safe driver, but there were always other people on the road that weren't. And Horatio didn't want to take this risk.

"Horatio," she sighed a bit annoyed and gave him a hug to accentuate her plan of leaving now. "I'll see you on Monday, okay?"

Horatio looked down on to the petite blonde in his arms and wanted to say something when a loud roll of thunder hindered him. Suddenly the wind and rain increased and he made a split-second-decision. "Get inside," he shouted to drown out the loud noise and dragged her in with his arms still around her. With all his strength he shut the door and leaned against it; the rain clashing against it. Calleigh was right, it wasn't a hurricane, but it felt like a monsoon. At least that seemed to be most likely right now.

"Horatio I-"

"You. .Drive. End of discussion, Calleigh," he interrupted her in a serious voice and gave her a look that told her that this wasn't open for a discussion. So he just ignored her light huff and was surprised when he started to shiver. He looked down quickly and found the reason for that; his T-Shirt and Jeans were both soaked thanks to the rain. "Why don't you get out of your jacket and sit down in the living room, I'll just change into something dry, okay?"

Noticing his wet appearance, Cal cringed inside, knowing that it was her fault and that he probably was right about not driving right now. "That's okay…uhm I could make us a cup of tea, what do you think?" she suddenly felt the cold chills too.

"Good idea," he nodded, accepting her silent apology for her stubborn behavior and climbed up the stairs. Calleigh knew her way around his kitchen, so there was no need to tell her where to find anything. Upstairs he rummaged in his drawer to find another pair of jeans and a fresh polo shirt for himself and some older sweatpants which didn't fit him any longer, but hopefully Calleigh, since he didn't want her to catch a cold.

_**Tbc**_

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. Well I guess I don't have to repeat myself that you just need to tell me if you want more of the story or not. If you want more regular updates, just let me know. I'll do what I can. **


	12. Chapter 92

**Chapter 9.2**

Downstairs, Calleigh was busy scurrying through the kitchen to find some tea bags while she brought the water to the boil. Looking outside the window, she admitted to herself that Horatio was indeed right about not letting her drive through this storm. The sky was getting darker and darker and it looked that there was a lot more to come. Besides, spending time with Horatio and Elena was always a plus and this time it had been him to ask her to stay. She hadn't invited herself and this felt really good. Now she just needed to call Lisa, because she neither wanted her to worry about her whereabouts nor did she wanted her to wait for nothing.

After Horatio had changed he grabbed the sweatpants and left his room. He opened the door to the nursery cautiously and peeked inside, noticing with a pleased nod that Elena was still sleeping peacefully. "Nothing can disturb your beauty sleep, right Sweetness?" he whispered and should have known better than to say it out loud. Suddenly a loud clap of thunder roared right above the house and even Horatio couldn't help but being concerned. He wasn't afraid of thunder; he just didn't like them right above his roof. "Silly weather," he mumbled to himself and was about to leave the door ajar again when Elena started to cry.

"Hey Lisa, it's me. Listen, I won't make it on time, if I ever make it at all," Calleigh held her cell to her left ear while she opened a cupboard with her right hand.

' _Cal, please don't tell me that you're in your car right now?!'_

"No, I'm most definitely not," Cal smiled at the concerned voice of her friend. "I'm safe and secure, don't worry about me," she continued and shrieked when a loud clap of thunder shook the house.

'_You ain't better be lying to me Duquesne, or I'll have your head," _Lisa threatened her which made Calleigh laugh. _'And we both know that this would be a shame, since it's such a nice and clever head, right?'_

"Scouts honor," Cal grinned in response "I just wanted to let you know that I have to postpone our meeting and," she was interrupted by Horatio and Elena, who was still crying her lungs out.

Horatio stopped dead in his tracks when he noticed the cell in her hand and mouthed a silent Sorry before he quickly left the room; not wanting to disturb her phone call any longer.

'_Calleigh Marie Duquesne, am I imagining things or do I hear a baby's crying??'_

"No you aren't, there's indeed a baby crying here," Calleigh sighed.

'_So, is there something you want to tell me? Tell Priest Lisa all your sins and they'll be forgiven.'_

"What? I..no!!" Calleigh answered confused and rolled her eyes when she heard Lisa laughing on the other side of the line. "It's not _my _baby. It's Horatio's…it's Elena…"

'_Ah..Horatio..hm? You mean this hunk of a guy you call your boss and-'_

"Yes," Calleigh hissed quickly before Lisa could continue her teasing.

'_My Cal, don't be so sensitive. I won't tell him your dirty little secret..,' _Lisa giggled.

"You ain't better do that, or I will have to invite you to my refuge you know…trying out some new weapons," Cal threatened her, knowing that her so called dirty little secret was safe with Lisa. She was indeed the only one who knew about it, since she didn't work in the lab and so she had an objective view on the subject.

'_Okay, I'll promise, but now I don't want to steal your precious time with your boss. Oh and Cal.. I want ALL the juicy details later one," _she laughed and quickly hung up before Calleigh could mutter a reply.

Cal just groaned in frustration. "Who needs enemies when you've got friends like these?" she rolled her eyes at her friend's antics and stuffed her cell back into her purse just the same moment when the tea pot started to whistle.

With two steaming cups of tea she emerged in the living room and watched Horatio walking around with Elena, who still seemed to be very upset. "Did she wake up from the thunder?" she asked and put down the cups onto the coffee table.

Horatio turned around to face her and nodded. "Yeah, I think she got scared by the sound and well…since the thunderstorm isn't over it's hard to calm her," he explained. "Sorry for interrupting your phone call by the way."

"Oh, that's fine," she put him off. "No need to be sorry. I just called Lisa, so she wouldn't get worried."

Horatio nodded in understanding and pointed with his chin towards the sweatpants he had draped over the couch's armrest earlier. "I thought that you might need something dry to wear and since my jeans will most definitely not fit you," he shrugged.

Confused, Calleigh followed his gaze and noticed the piece of clothing that was lying there all so innocently. "Uh…," she stuttered and prayed that her cheeks weren't as red as they felt.

Sensing her embarrassment, thinking it was because of him being her boss, Horatio quickly tried to reassure her. "I haven't worn them for years, guess I uhm…outgrew them," he laughed softly. "I just don't want you to catch a cold or something worse because of the A.C., okay?"

Smiling at his remark Calleigh nodded and pulled herself together. "Okay, thanks. I'll be back in a few," she said and fetched the clothes. Wearing Horatio's clothes, in Horatio's house…that's what people called torture. A sweet one, but torture nevertheless.

True to her word, she entered the living room a few minutes later again and was greeted by a (in her eyes) very cute scene. Horatio was sitting on the couch, slumped in the corner and Elena had her tiny arms wrapped around his neck, showing Calleigh her back. "Is she okay again?" she asked softly in case of the child being asleep again.

"Yeah," he nodded and grinned when he let his eyes wander to her, well actually his sweatpants. "Hmm, I certainly outgrew them, but you could still grow into them," he chuckled.

Looking down, Cal shot him a glare and couldn't help but smile at her attire. Thanks to the elastic ribbon she had been able to adjust it around her waist; the trouser legs though were a world too long. "You surely know how to give a girl a compliment, Mr. Caine," she chided him and sat down next to her host, which made Elena look up. "Hey there, did the stupid thunder scare you?" she cooed and turned a bit so she could face the others.

Elena snuffled and watched Calleigh with her big blue puffy eyes.

"Yeah, thunder is anything but nice, right Princess?" Horatio joined in and pressed a kiss onto his daughter's forehead. "But now there's no need to be scared, right? The thunder can't hurt you," he continued in his soothing voice and ran a hand through her silky hair. "And see what the thunder brought us, aunt Calleigh," he announced cheerfully and chuckled when Elena produced a small smile. He wasn't sure if this was because of mentioning Calleigh's name, or the fact that he was talking to her, but he decided to just run with it and be happy that Elena seemed to overcome her shock.

"It was more your Daddy not allowing me to leave the house than the storm as such," Calleigh corrected him subtly, "but it's pointless to argue about it, since we're all here now," she stated and reached for her cup to take a small sip of her nicely cooled down tea.

"Stop brainwashing my daughter," Horatio teased and put Elena down next to him, so she was sitting between him and Calleigh.

Calleigh couldn't help but ran a finger over Elena's cheek and wiping away the last remains of the tears that had been shed a few minutes ago. "She won't go back to sleep, right?" she asked curiously.

"No, sadly but no," Horatio sighed and grabbed his cup. "I hope she won't get cranky later on, but there's no way to put her back to bed now that she knows that you're here," he winked at Ellie and just as she'd understood him, the girl laughed. "See?"

"You're both charmers, that's for sure," Calleigh replied amused. "So what do you have in store for this rainy day?"

***

Calleigh sat in front of the TV cupboard and rummaged through Horatio's huge DVD collection. She had never picked him for being a movie nut, but she definitely had to reconsider it. His collection was widely spread and so it wasn't an easy task to find the right movie, while Horatio was upstairs putting Elena to bed.

The three of them had – in Cal's humble opinion - spend a wonderful afternoon together. They had played with Elena, so she would be distracted from the storm going on outside and they had succeeded. Elena owned this nice little box where you could put in different shape types of items and Calleigh was amazed of how clever this little girl already was. Certainly, Horatio Caine was her father, but it amazed Calleigh nevertheless and her heart had melted every time when Ellie had succeeded in her task and had clapped enthusiastically. My, this girl had more charm in her pinkie than others in their whole body.

Afterwards they had prepared a light dinner together, or better said the adults did, while Elena had stayed in her playpen. Of course, Calleigh had asked Horatio why the girl had to stay there and when he had awkwardly told her the story of her last attempt to redecorate the house, Cal had definitely understood his reasoning. Though she had to admit that she'd give a lot of money to see a flustered Horatio, cleaning his walls in panic, while his daughter would sulk the same time, because he was destroying her paintings. Maybe she would get the chance again, when Ellie found her first pen on the floor, but until then she just had to use her imagination.

Dinner had been a very nice affair, even though Elena hadn't actually agreed with Horatio's choice of food for her. Something Calleigh couldn't understand, since it had been special baby semolina porridge for the night. He had probably made the mistake in showing her the chocolate version at first and then giving her the vanilla one, but Calleigh wasn't so sure if Elena could actually made out a difference by just seeing the glass. But when it came to a Caine, you never knew. The fact that Horatio had to change after dinner for a second time this day underpinned her idea though. But just like Horatio had declared so nicely, the two girls had had their fun.

And now she was getting lost in the huge amount of movies, unconsciously comparing them with her own collection at home and was very pleased by the fact, that they had more in common than she'd thought. One movie in particular caught her interest and so she got it out.

Horatio grabbed the baby monitor and assured himself a second time that Elena was fast asleep. It was a little too early tonight, but since she didn't have a long nap this afternoon, it was only natural that she'd been deadly tired after dinner. Thankfully, the storm had decreased a lot and there was only a mild wind left and the thunderstorm had moved on during the afternoon.

He couldn't exactly say why he and Calleigh had agreed on a movie night, but the lonely feeling that had threatened to consume him after dinner had made him ask her to stay a little longer. He enjoyed spending time with her and the fact that she had came around today had rescued him in more than one way.

Leaving the door ajar, he made his way downstairs into the living room, where Cal seemingly tried to memorize every movie that he owned. Now that was a task that could take some time, especially since Horatio didn't know how many movies he actually owned. Smiling he put down the baby monitor onto the coffee table and was greeted by a huge smile.

"You know," Calleigh started and watched him closely. "It's already a surprise that you own so many movies, but I would have never picked you for the Titanic type of guy," she grinned and held up the DVD for him to see. The moment she saw the pain flickering across his face, she knew she'd done a huge mistake.

Horatio felt the dull pang in his heart immediately, though it wasn't as bad as he had imagined. He wasn't sure if this was a good sign or not, but right now he didn't have the time to analyze it. Looking down at his shoes, he shook his head and sighed. "Actually, it's not mine. It's…it was Marisol's," he said softly. "It was her favorite movie."

"I'm so sorry, Horatio," Calleigh replied in earnest. "I didn't know..I.."

"No, its okay," he interrupted her calmly. "But I'd really appreciate it, if we could watch a different movie, okay?"

"Of course," Calleigh answered quickly. "Do you have one in mind?" She didn't want to make another mistake.

"Not really. Just pick one you like, I'll like it anyway," he tried to lighten up the mood a bit. He didn't blame Calleigh for asking him about Titanic. It was rather a typical chick flick; he knew that all too well. But it held memories that he didn't want to think of right now. "I'm gonna make us some popcorn, how does that sound?"

"Like heaven," she drawled and watched him leaving. _"Great Calleigh. You're so perceptive sometimes, that being a CSI is the perfect job for you," _she berated herself. _"You really put your foot in it! Damn!"_ She wanted to help him forget and get over his grief and now she reminded him of his late wife. _"You stupid girl."_ And now she had to find another movie. One that was definitely his and not Marisol's, because if she made the same mistake again, she could never ever meet his eyes again. 

"Okay, Cal…use your common sense. What is more after his liking than hers?" Not that she'd known Marisol that good, but that didn't matter right now. "No chick flick, that's too risky..hmm…" She slowly let her eyes roam over the DVD covers, when it suddenly leapt into her eye. "Perfect."

_**Tbc**_

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. ****I'm glad that you enjoyed the story so far. Let me know what you think. **


	13. Chapter 93

**Chapter 9.3**

Choosing this movie had been, except of stopping by, her best decision for today. After Horatio had came back into the living room with a bowl full of freshly made popcorn, she had shown him her selection and much to her relief he had happily agreed to watch this movie.

This had been about an hour ago and now they were sitting on his couch, the bowl resting in his lap and Calleigh snuggled against his side. She couldn't even recall when they'd shifted into this position, but it was utterly comfortable. Horatio had put his feet onto the coffee table and Cal had drawn up her legs onto the couch. Being so close to him was like heaven on earth. She felt the warmth radiating from his body, smelled the faint smell of his cologne and the way his arm was casually wrapped around her shoulder made it perfect. She knew that he was doing it as a friend and nothing more, but of course she couldn't help but imagine it what it would feel like, if they spend every evening like this.

Delicately she fished for some popcorn and laughed when Sam Diamond alias Peter Falk and Dick Charleston alias David Niven were arguing about who was going to search for the gun holes in Jamesir Bensonmum alias Alec Guinness naked, dead body.

"_Look all over him."_

"_All over his body?"_

"_Well, somebody's gotta do it. I'm busy standing guard."_

"_Why don't I stand guard? You look all over the body."_

"_All right we'll take turns. You look over the first dead, naked body that we find and I'll look over the second."_

"Do you also see Eric and Ryan arguing at a crime scene like this?" she giggled and crunched her popcorn.

"Well now that you mention it…," he grinned and reached for his soda.

"_Locked, from the inside. That can only mean one thing. And I don't know what it is."_

"But I hope that this isn't happening at a crime scene," he added and shook his head. Murder By Death was one of his favorite movies. It had great actors like David Niven, Peter Falk, Alec Guinness and Maggie Smith which acted very well together and the topic of the movie was also, for him as a CSI, very interesting. It was persiflage of course, a good one he might add, but it had everything a good crime movie needed. It had great criminologists, a good plot and a lot of funny dialogues and moments. It had been some time since he had watched the movie for the last time and even though he knew it very well, it didn't get boring at all.

However, the fact that he didn't watch it alone this time but watched it in nice company made it even better. He too couldn't recall when they had arranged their bodies like this, but he didn't mind at all. Even though he wasn't the typical touchy type of guy, he needed some physical contact nevertheless. And since Calleigh was a very good friend, it didn't feel wrong at all. No, it felt rather very good actually. In his past he had imagined what it would be like sitting on the couch with his wife and watching a movie while their child would be sleeping upstairs and this situation came very close to it. It was just that Calleigh wasn't his wife and that it wasn't their child who was sleeping upstairs. And this left a smack of sadness.

"You were the one who picked them, so I hope not," Calleigh interrupted his thoughts and brought him back to the here and now again. "But it's funny anyway."

"True," he mused and pushed away the dark thoughts. He didn't want to be in a bad mood, on the contrary, the day had been very nice until now and there was no way that he would destroy that. He took another sip and placed the now empty can onto the table. Noticing that Calleigh's was also empty he turned his head to her. "Can I get you another soda?"

"Huh? Oh...you don't have to get up for that," she quickly shook her head and smirked when he tilted his head, "But I wouldn't say no if you get one for yourself," she added cheekily.

"I thought so," he chuckled and grabbed both cans. "Soda or something else?" he asked.

"Mhm, soda is just fine, Horatio." She didn't want him to have any unnecessary inconvenience.

"If you say so," he smiled and got up from the couch. Realizing that the popcorn bowl was also empty he reached for it too and just smiled at Calleigh in question.

"Oh no, no…if you continue stuffing me with this unhealthy but so delicious food…," she glared at him and rolled her eyes when he started to laugh. "I mean it, Mr. Caine. You're not the one who has to run 3 miles every morning to prevent love handles."

Horatio held up a hand in mock surrender. "Fine, fine…I'm gonna search my kitchen for some rice cakes. You can chew on these dust-dry things while I'll enjoy another bowl of hot buttered popcorn," he teased her and smirked when her jaw dropped. "Well, you said you wanted something healthy," he shrugged when she shot him some overly amusing death glares.

"I hate you," was all she said and crossed her arms. It was good that he didn't know that _he_ was one of her reasons to actually think about love handles. This would have been even more embarrassing.

"Now that hurt," Horatio pulled a face, clearly showing that there was indeed a charmer and not to forget a little rascal in him, one you couldn't be angry with.

Calleigh just sighed and shook her head. One look from him and he had her wrapped around his finger; that wasn't fair. "Liar," she mumbled loud enough for him to hear and suddenly looked at the baby monitor, which made itself felt with Elena's whimpering.

"Well there goes the popcorn," Horatio said, put down the items and was in full father mode. "I'll be back in a few."

Calleigh just watched him go and pressed the pause button. Then she grabbed the items and made her way into the kitchen, hoping that there was nothing wrong with Elena. With two cans she emerged out of the kitchen and returned to the sofa where she sat down. Smiling she listened to Horatio's soothing words coming over the monitor. She knew that others often claimed that being a CSI was the job he was born to, but hearing him talking to his daughter, Calleigh knew that they were all wrong. Horatio was born to be a father; this was what he was destined to, there was no mistaking. It had been obvious to everyone close to him, especially when there had been cases with children involved. There was no one else, except of Alexx probably, who could be so compassionate when it came to young victims. Children trusted him instantly and this was a gift, there was no way to learn it. Either you have it or you don't; there's no in between.

"Cal?" Horatio asked her softly and touched her shoulder.

With a jerk she turned around and looked at him. "God Horatio, you gave me the scare of my life," she breathed.

"I'm sorry, you were pretty out of it," he apologized. "Could you take Elena for a moment? I need to get something."

"Of course," she answered and had only now registered that he wasn't alone. "Come here, Ellie," she said softly and took the little one in her arms. "What's wrong with her?" she asked alarmed when she saw the red cheeks and thought she could feel a slight temperature.

"I think she's beginning to teethe. Marta already warned me and I really hope that it won't be too painful for her," he sighed and then added, "be careful, she'll drool a lot. I don't want your clothes being-"

"Horatio…that's fine," Cal interrupted him. "Just get what you need to make her feel better," she ended the discussion and focused on Elena. "That's definitely not your day, isn't it Ellie? First the thunder and now the teething. I guess we should just forget this day," she talked to her and kissed her temple. "Daddy will get you something to make you feel better."

"Well at least Daddy hopes that it will help," Horatio came back, holding a teething ring in his hands. "It's been in the fridge for some days now since Marta told me that something cold would be good," he explained and sat down next to the girls. "Alexx also gave me some gel in case it hurts too much and she won't be able to sleep, but for now I hope that the ring will be enough." He carefully lifted Elena from Calleigh's lap and put her in his own. "So let's have a try," he murmured gave her the ring which she immediately accepted and started to chew on. Relieved he wrapped his arms loosely around her and smiled at Calleigh. "Mission accomplished so far."

"Yeah," she grinned back and took the remote in her hand. "Ready for the end?"

"Most definitely, though you didn't have to stop it and wait for me."

"On the contrary, Handsome," she replied, stopped abruptly by her choice of words, but did her best of not to show it outwardly. "What kind of guest would I be, if I don't wait for my host?" she quickly kept on talking and started the movie again, so he didn't have a chance to call her on his nickname.

What she didn't know was, that Horatio had no intention of calling her on the name. He hadn't done it in the past, so many years ago, so why should he start it now? He actually liked being called like that; which man didn't want to be called handsome? Though he still doubted that he actually was handsome at all; especially in the eyes of a younger woman. So instead of analyzing it, which ultimately would make him feel old, he just went with it and the good feeling that came along with it.

***

About half an hour later, the end credits appeared on the screen and Calleigh turned down the volume a bit. "You know... I still wonder if there actually had been a murder and if so who was the perp and who was the victim. And to be honest it's driving me mad," she laughed. There was nothing worse than an unsolved case.

"I know exactly what you mean. I've watched this movie so many times, but I still can't figure it out and I seriously doubt that there's a way to do that. I mean…it's persiflage, there doesn't have to be a real conclusion, except of the fact that even the greatest criminologists can't solve every case."

"True and still you can't silence the CSI in yourself," Calleigh nodded.

"Well you can't silence a CSI, but you can definitely silence a young girl," Horatio grinned and looked down at his sleeping daughter in his arms. "I guess the movie wasn't as fascinating for her as it was for us."

"You know what that means, right? No new CSI in the Caine family," Calleigh giggled and admired the beautiful picture next to her.

"To be honest, I'd be very happy if it stays like that. It's not that I want to determine her future career, but I wouldn't mind if she stays out of the police career."

"We have a very dangerous job," Calleigh concluded.

"That we have," Horatio nodded. "But if she decides to work in the police force, I'll be the last one to stop her," he added.

Calleigh smiled at that. Leave it to Horatio to support his family. "Well it's probably a bit too early to think about such things," she joked and tried to change the subject.

"Indeed, but you still can't stop it. I already pictured what it would be like to go shopping with her and everything she picks out is pink," he rolled his eyes.

"Poor man, that's the curse of being father of a girl," she laughed and couldn't help but see it in her minds eye.

"Yeah I think so," he said unsure and shrugged. He knew he overreacted but sometimes you weren't able to stop thinking.

"You'll survive, I promise," Calleigh rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Well maybe I'll ask you to accompany her," he threatened.

"Just name the time and place and I'll be there," she replied without thinking and surprised them both.

Not quite knowing what to say, Horatio gave her a small smile. "I'll probably come back to you."

"_Ugh, Cal. What's wrong with you? Have you been drinking?"_ she scolded herself. _"Think before talking…you know the rule."_ Now she really needed to change the subject, before she'd spill her secrets out. "Can I ask you a question, Horatio?"

Horatio bit his lip in order to stop himself from replying with the typical, yet annoying, 'you already did' phrase. "Shoot," he looked expectantly at her.

"You know I wonder if you ever go out with Elena," she started and held up her hand, so he wouldn't interrupt her. "I know you're going out with her; you remember that we met in the park?" she smiled. "No, what I mean is if you ever meet other parents?"

A little bit confused, because he didn't know where this was going, he tilted his head. "Well I'm talking a lot with the Delkos and the Woods of course."

"And are there others beside them?"

"Hmm, no," he shook his head, still not seeing what she wanted. "Why?"

"Well, I can't speak from experiences of course, but my sisters-in-law went to playgroups when my nephews and nieces were in a similar age like Elena is in now."

"Playgroups?" he asked surprised, because he hadn't thought about that yet. "Don't you think she's too young for that?"

"Well, in these kinds of playgroups…it's not that much about the babies, but about the parents, or mothers most often. It's about exchange experiences and maybe finding solutions for problems."

"Well that's what I'm doing with Alexx and Marta," he pointed out.

"I know that, but think about it. It's 30+ years ago when Marta had such young children and even Alexx' kids are already teenagers. Times had been different then and even though I know that they're doing a great job and help you a lot, it would probably be a good idea to at least think about joining a group. Ellie is too young for actually playing with the other babies, that's true, but it won't hurt her either, don't you think?" She had sat up a bit unconsciously while talking, which showed that she really meant what she said.

And Horatio registered that. He just wasn't too sure about joining a playgroup, already knowing that it would be just women and no men. But then again, he wanted the best for Elena and that meant that he had to swallow his pride once in a while. "But what about work?"

"Believe it or not, I'm sure that there'll be also groups which will meet at the weekend. And if you are on call that day, I'm sure one of us will happily cover for you as long as the session will take," she took the wind out of his sails. The best way to convince Horatio of an idea was showing him hard facts, he couldn't deny.

Horatio knew that she knew that he didn't have any arguments against that, so he just shook his head in surrender. "I will think about it, okay?" he said softly.

"That's all I'm asking you. If you don't like it, you just don't go there again. It's just that easy," she made it palatable to him. "It's for you…and the precious little princess in your arms, who seems to sleep the sleep of the dead," she smiled.

Looking down at Ellie, who was resting with her cheek against his chest, he knew that he had at least to try it for them. He'd never been a man of hesitation, so why should he start being one now? "I'm gonna call Goldberg from the civic center tomorrow, I guess if one knows what's going on there, it's him."

Being a happy camper about this partial success, Calleigh smiled to herself. "Yep, I totally agree."

"I knew you would," he laughed and looked at his watch. Surprised he noticed that it was already 10 p.m. and he wondered where the time had gone. "I'd better put Ellie to bed again before we wake her up by accident."

Calleigh, who had followed his example and had looked at her own watch, agreed with him. "I guess I better get going too. My Dad had asked me to stop by in the morning to have breakfast together and yes," she laid her hand on his arm; "I know that you don't want to kick me out." She could read him like a book sometimes. "Don't worry," she reassured him.

"Okay," he said relieved because he really hadn't meant it like that. They stood up in perfect unison and walked to the stairs, where Horatio stopped in order to say goodbye.

Calleigh, who noticed that, grinned and shooed him upstairs. "You know, as comfortable your sweatpants are I'd really like to wear my jeans on my way home."

"Oh." Embarrassed he looked away and had totally forgotten about that. "That would be a good idea."

"I'll see you in a few," she vanished into the guest room to change. She really needed to get home and out of this house. The homey feeling that threatened to overcome her got bigger and bigger. Her thoughts traveled on dangerous grounds; instead of leaving the house, she would change to get ready for bed while Horatio would put the little one to bed before he would come back into the bedroom again.

Yes, she definitely needed to get into her own home and bed.

Carefully she stopped at the nursery after she had changed and waited for Horatio.

"Hey you ready?" he greeted her quietly and stepped out of the room and left the door ajar.

"Yes, I left the pants on the bed, I hope that's okay?" she asked when they walked down the stairs.

"Of course," he readily replied and helped her into the jacket. "At least it had stopped raining," he commented and opened the door for her. "Thanks for stopping by, I had a great time."

"Thanks for making me stay here," she grinned and took the book out of his hands. "And yes, I had a great time too. I'll see you on Monday?"

"Most definitely Ma'am," he nodded and gave her a hug. "Have a nice evening and sleep well."

"_You have no idea, Handsome…"_ "I will, but you too. Without…"

"Without little helpers, yes," he said seriously. He hadn't taken one since their talk.

"Very good," she said proudly and turned around to leave the house. "Bye…"

"Bye," he called after her and waited until the headlights of her car disappeared around a corner. Slowly he closed the door behind him and smiled to himself. "Well, I think I should probably reassess my opinion about rainy Saturdays."

_**Tbc**_

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. **


	14. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When Horatio pulled on the parking lot and stopped his car about four weeks later, it wasn't the first time this month that he'd spend his Saturday morning here. Just as he had promised Calleigh the other day, he had called Goldberg in order to find out about appointment times for a local playgroup for babies. There had been a lot of them during the week, but this wouldn't have worked with his time schedule at all. That's why he had decided to enroll for the playgroup class on the weekend. His team had willingly agreed to have his back for the two hours when he wasn't available and for now it had worked out just perfectly. He knew he could call himself lucky in having such a wonderful team, no family who was looking out for each other. He knew that he somehow needed to show them his gratitude, but he also knew that they didn't want him to do that.

With a smile he looked at his watch, realizing that there were still some minutes left before class started, and so he decided to fetch his bag from the trunk, which included some diapers, food, drinks, a mat and Elena's favorite blanket. Putting it down next to the car, he opened the back door of the Hummer and grinned at his most precious passenger – his daughter.

"Hey there, Ellie. Are you excited about meeting the others again?" he asked her, while he opened the belt of her car seat. Ellie just laughed and held out her small arms so Horatio could lift her out. "I bet you are… we'll probably sing the "Wheels on the bus" song again," he cooed and grabbed the bag next to his feet. He had to admit that it had been a bit awkward for him when they had to sing for the first time, because he knew that he didn't have a good singing voice at all; but since the other ladies hadn't run away screaming, he had resigned himself to sing.

Speaking of ladies… If singing had been a bit awkward for him, the first minutes when he had entered a room full of women for the first time had made him feel really uneasy. He had felt the eyes on him immediately, knowing that the sight of a man was rather rare than common in such groups. They hadn't whispered to each other, but he'd been able to read the questions on their faces. _'A man? What is he doing here? Where's the mother?'_ The silence that had set in the room, had made him feel like turning around and walking away like a coward, but before his mind could settle on this thought, Angela, the instructor of the group had entered the room and closed the door behind her.

She had eased the small tension with only a single sentence. _'Oh are my eyes deceiving me? A handsome man and he'll be ours for the next two hours? Now that's what I call a good start of a Saturday.'_ The ladies had laughed, Horatio had turned red and the session had started with introducing each other.

Now he was really looking forward to their meetings and to be honest, he also enjoyed being the only man at a hen party. It definitely had some advantages. The fact that he'd also known one of the women from a case in the past had made it a bit easier.

So when he entered the room and saw that some of the ladies were already there, he just smiled and greeted them brightly. "Ladies."

"Horatio," they turned around in unison. "We've just been talking about you."

"Oh that's why my ears were ringing," he joked and helped Elena out of her jacket.

"Probably yes," they laughed. "But it wasn't about you, more about your little sunshine."

"Oh?" Horatio looked up in question and folded the jacket, so he could stuff it into the bag.

"Yeah, Gloria just told me that Jason started teething a few days ago," Amber answered his unspoken question.

"Ah," Horatio nodded and let Elena crawling around. "So how bad is it?" he asked and walked to the women.

"Pretty bad actually," Gloria answered and sighed heavily. "He didn't sleep most of the night and he's cranky. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to come here today."

"I'm sorry to hear that." He was pretty happy that Elena wasn't in so much pain; it would have broken his heart. "You know, my ME gave me the name of some gel which numbs the pain slightly so the little one is able to sleep. I haven't needed it yet, but since she's a doctor and a mother as well, she knows what she's doing. I can give you the name if you want to?" he suggested.

"This would be perfect, thank you."

"You're quite welcome," he smiled in response. "Does anyone know if Carla will come back today?" He had no idea when he had started to transform into some kind of chatter-box, but much to his dismay he enjoyed it. It probably was a natural effect when you spend so much time with women, or at least he could persuade himself to believe that.

"No, not today," Amber shook her head. "She gave me a call yesterday to tell me. It seems like Daniel has a middle ear inflammation."

"Uh," Horatio pulled a face. "That's hard, poor guy."

"And poor Carla, she barely gets some sleep. It must hurt like a bitch."

"I can only imagine," he nodded and felt the immediate relief that Elena had been spared from that yet. He could only wish that it would stay like this. He knew that he would be a wreck of nerves once she would get sick for the first time, even it was just some random cold. He could call himself lucky that there were Marta and Alexx who would know what to do.

"Ah there are the others," Amber announced and there was a great hello immediately. Hugs and kisses were shared and Horatio wasn't left out; at least not when it came to the hugs.

As much as he had been cautious about Calleigh's idea of joining a playgroup at first, so much he was now happy that he had taken that step. The ladies were absolutely charming, full of suggestions and, though he would never tell the others, wonderful recipes for both adults and babies. He had tried out a few of them for Elena and his daughter had enjoyed eating the meals. And this was all that was important for him.

The moment they had got to know that his wife had died during birth, they had somehow taken him under their wings; especially the ones who weren't mother for the first time.

"Now, now ladies and gentleman, stop trading recipes and let's start with the reason why we're here," Angela announced and clapped her hands. The ladies grinned, Horatio looked to the ground and they all had a guilty look on their faces. "You're all incorrigible," she teased and asked them to sit down in a circle, with the babies in the middle. "Since I know that some of you love to sing," she pointed her chin into Horatio's direction, "I thought we could start with a real male song about a bus and its wheels."

"It would be even more male, if it was about a Hummer and its wheels," Horatio announced.

"I will think about that for the future," Angela laughed. "But for now I think we have to live with the bus."

***

"I hope you all had a great time today and we'll all see each other next week," Angela released the group members into their deserved weekend.

"Horatio do you want to come with us? We're having a brunch at Diego's."

"As tempting as it sounds, but I have to take a rain check. I'm on call this weekend and I don't want my colleagues to spend their free time in the lab, when it should be me," he said regretfully and dressed Elena in her jacket. "But I'll come along next time," he smiled.

"You'd better do that. The fresh baguettes and the ham are to die for and-"

"I think he gets what you mean, Rachel," Amber interrupted her. "Don't take her seriously, Horatio. It's only the hormones talking."

"If you say so," he grinned and rolled his eyes when his cell started to ring. "Sorry," he apologized and turned around to take the call. "Horatio? Yes, it's over…okay, I'll be there in a few. I just need to bring Elena to the Delkos. Thanks for calling me, bye."

"Work?"

"Most definitely, yes," Horatio answered and lifted Elena in his arms. "I'm sorry to cut this short ladies, but I need to get going."

"That's okay, Horatio. It's a shame that crime doesn't even stop at weekends," Amber said while they walked out of the building. She knew what she was talking about; her father had been a police officer too.

Horatio agreed wholeheartedly and pressed the remote to unlock the doors of the car. "Yeah, that's true," he nodded and looked at the women. "But as I always say…Miami never sleeps."

_**Tbc**_

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews, especially my anonymous ****reviewers that I can't thank personally via pm. **


	15. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm sorry for the delay…but I was pretty busy the last days.**

**Therefore, I won't divide this chapter into different parts so be aware that it's very looooong.**

**Please enjoy and thank you all for your reviews. **

**Chapter 11**

Silently he watched his boss from the doorway. When he had been on his way to the office, he hadn't been entirely sure if this was such a good idea, but now, seeing Horatio like this, he was very sure it was the right thing to do. Taking a short breath he leaned against the doorframe. "H, you need to get out."

Surprised Horatio looked up from the files he was brooding over and tilted his head questioningly.

"I mean it, H. I can't see you sitting here any longer and then going home to Elena. You need some time for yourself," the guest answered the unsaid question and closed the door behind him.

"And what makes you think that?" Horatio asked and put the clasp onto his fountain pen.

"Well, can you tell me without looking into your date book, when was the last time that you went out?" his counterpart raised his brows.

Sighing, Horatio leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. It was hard to tell when he went out for the last time. He had been out with Marisol a few times, but after her death? No, he couldn't remember anything.

Taking the silence as a no and an approval of his thesis, Eric sat down on one of the chairs in front of the office desk. "Listen H, I know that I'm not in your position and that I don't know what you're going through, but you need to get out of this routine."

"Eric listen..," Horatio started, his tone showing that he didn't want to discuss this right now.

"No, H. Now you're going to listen," his brother in law interrupted him. "You're getting more and more private…well more than usual…and you're withdrawing from the team… well more than usual and that's not good. That's why we're meeting on Saturday, 9 p.m. at the Mango's," he said matter of factly. The Mango tropical Café was known for its Cubans music, salsa and more.

"But-"

"No but, H. We're going out and you will be part of it. It's been ages since the whole team went out together on the weekend and it was you actually, who started this. You always said that we should do something together which is not work related and now it's time to do it again. The ladies are already hyper about it, Ryan is checking out his closet, though he never stands a chance against me," he smirked amused.

"Eric...," H sighed and shook his head. "I don't know…I'm quite satisfied with my life right now."

"Well, look me in the eye and say that again." He knew his friend. He knew that Horatio could lie if he had to, but he had problems with lying to his family and Eric knew that he was now lying. Not only to Eric, but to himself as well.

Horatio knew better than to repeat his sentence, so he tried a different plan. "What about Elena? I have to be with her."

"That's already been taken care of. Mum will babysit her and let her stay overnight. She's excited about it actually and wishes us a lot of fun," Eric smirked. Oh yeah, Horatio had no chance this time. "And don't try to find another excuse for not spending your time with your friends, H. You won't find one, I'll promise. So, 9 p.m., Mango's and take a cab, we never know how late it will get," the younger man winked and got up from his chair. "You do know where it is, right?"

Defeated Horatio nodded. "Yes, yes I do."

"Very good. And don't even think of not turning up, Alexx will have your head for that," he laughed.

"Not funny, Eric. Not funny," H tried to glare, but failed miserably. There was no way he would anger the team's mother hen. "Okay, I'll be there. But now get lost so I can fight my way through the paper work or else I can't come with you," he chuckled and opened the next case file.

Grinning the younger man nodded and walked to the door. Before he left the office he took a few moments to watch his brother in law and felt very satisfied with himself. Horatio needed to spend some time with people his age. He loved him for the fact that Horatio was almost sacrificing himself for Elena's well-being, but it didn't do him any good. He needed to loosen up a bit, though he wasn't sure if Horatio had ever done that before, but he could see in every movement that Horatio was tense. He knew from his mother that Horatio regularly went to the playgroup with Elena and that Calleigh visited him once in a while, but that was not what he had in mind with going out. Hopefully this night out with his friends and surrogate family would help him. "Saturday H, don't forget it. It's the day after tomorrow," he told him once again and quickly left the office, before Horatio had the time to make a remark on that.

***

"You can keep the rest," Horatio nodded to the cab driver and handed him money.

"Thank you, Sir. I hope you have a nice night," the middle-aged man gave him a toothless grin and waited for his guest getting out of the car, before he carefully, so as not run some party people over, drove off.

Sighing, Horatio ran a hand through his hair and looked towards the Club's entry. There was already quite a line and he wasn't sure if he should be happy about Eric being a member or not, since he couldn't use the excuse of waiting too long. He was still unsure of his feelings towards this night. When Marta had picked up Elena in the late afternoon, he had wanted to ask her to let her stay, but hadn't been brave enough. Then, after a long shower and after getting ready for the night, he had been looking forward to it and now…now he was torn between.

Looking around he noticed that he was the first one, not that this was unique in any way since he was always too early, but tonight he had thought, that the others would wait for him, so they could drag him into the club. Smiling at this image he shook his head and wandered towards the entry, stopping close proximity, so he wouldn't miss the others and to be visible for the others. Humming softly to himself, he looked at his shoes and missed his sunglasses to fumble with, so he stuffed his hands into his pockets.

Unaware of him, Calleigh, Alexx and her husband stepped out of another cab and were looking around to see if other members of the team had arrived already. As far as they knew, Eric and Ryan would grab a cab together and Horatio would come alone. If he did anyway. Though Eric had assured them, that his plan had worked, Alexx and Calleigh wouldn't believe him until they saw Horatio with their own eyes.

"So ladies, can you see any familiar face yet?" Henry stepped behind them, after he had paid for the drive. He was definitely looking forward this evening. It wasn't all that often that he could spend a night with his wife alone, without the kids and so he would take advantage of this rare situation.

"Not yet, Honey," Alexx turned around and gave him a small kiss. Henry maybe didn't belong to the Team as such, but he did belong to the family and Horatio had always made sure of the fact that the respective partners were also welcome at their night outs.

"Oh I think I can see Horatio," Calleigh said and pointed into the direction. "I think I can see red hair," she smiled to herself and felt relieved that he kept his promise.

"Well I only know one man in this city with such bright hair," Alexx tuned in and linked arms with her husband. "We must hurry before he disappears again," she joked, but also knew that Horatio was a bit unpredictable when it came to such things.

"And we don't want that, do we?" Calleigh asked and in a threesome they approached him.

Horatio was surprised and marveled at his now four pair of feet. He had been so lost in thoughts, that he hadn't heard them at all. Slowly he lifted his head and smiled at his companions. "Good evening Ladies…Henry," he greeted them ever so politely.

"And a good evening to you too, Horatio. I'm glad you could make it," Calleigh replied.

"Well, I had an appealing offer and couldn't pass it up," he grinned and took in the ladies dressings. "I hope you forgive me, Henry, but may I say that you two ladies look absolutely fantastic tonight?" he said smoothly and was serious about it. Henry could call himself a lucky man with having such a wife. Alexx looked perfect in her short red cocktail dress and there was no sign that this woman had given birth to two children. And Calleigh herself was a feast for the eyes in her short black spaghetti straps cocktail dress.

"You may," Henry chuckled at the two blushing women. He knew that he was a lucky guy and he loved the fact that other men still turned their heads after his wife.

"I believe you need to check your eyes again, Sweetie," Alexx giggled and smiled broadly at his compliment.

Calleigh did the same and shook her head at him. "I still don't look good in all black."

"And I still beg to differ," he grinned at her, remembering this special moment between them so many years ago.

Alexx and Henry looked at each other, being sure that this would be an interesting and hopefully enjoyable evening. But before anyone could say something, the group was interrupted by two chattering men.

"You won't stand a chance against me, Wolfe. So you'd better not even try it."

"Oh come one, Delko. Remember the last time we went out? I was surrounded by nice ladies and you were nursing on your drink…alone."

Horatio, Calleigh, Alexx and Henry just looked at each other and rolled their eyes at the boys' adolescent antics. "It seems like we have two children in our midst," Horatio said lowly and couldn't help but wonder if the Delkos' knew about their party son. He knew that his sisters were aware of it, and that they always tried to talk some sense into him, but his parents? He had no idea and they wouldn't be told by him. He knew that this was just one part of Eric's character. The other, shier and calmer one wanted nothing more than finding the right one. He just didn't want to admit that.

"Now that we're all here," Alexx nodded and shrieked when she was kissed on her cheeks. Giving both boys a light slap on their arms, she continued. "I think we should go in, before these two party animals get wrong ideas," she laughed.

"We're not that bad," Eric huffed playfully.

"Are you sure about that, Eric?" Horatio asked amused.

"H, you're my brother in law, you should be on my side," Eric explained his very own theory and then nodded. "Okay, let's get inside, before it's too crowded."

Stopping when he felt a hand on his arm, Horatio let the others lead the way.

"You know, the compliment works for both ways," Calleigh said and meant his plain yet classy outfit. Even though Horatio just wore dark pants and a white shirt, he looked extraordinarily good. And most of all more relaxed than she had seen him in the lab for a long time now.

Tilting his head, he looked at her and waited for an explanation, but instead of that, he just got a wink and Calleigh passed him by. Shaking his head he followed her and reached the group at the entry.

"Everyone here? Okay, then let's get in," Eric called and nodded his thanks to the bouncer.

Inside the club there was already a crowd of people on the dance floor and so the Gang decided to get a table first. It was a good thing, that this was not only a club for Party, but also a club to have a nice time with your friends. After spotting an unoccupied table, they sat down at it and took in the atmosphere.

"Okay, the first round goes on me," Eric announced and stood up. "What can I get you?"

***

Two hours later it was just Horatio, Calleigh, Alexx and Henry sitting at the table and enjoying their drinks. But not only their drinks, but also the sight in front of them. Ryan and Eric were trying to talk two girls into dancing and until now it wasn't all that successful.

"Do you think they stand any chance with these ladies?" Horatio asked no one in particular and took a sip of his Cuba Libre. This was definitely better than T.V.

"Well not as long as they're paying more attention to each other, than the ladies," Henry laughed and found this highly amusing.

Smirking Horatio looked at him and chuckled softly. "You're probably right about that. At the moment it looks like Ryan is the lucky one," he commented when he saw the lady leaning closer to Ryan. "Or probably not," he then added plainly when said woman shook her head and walked away with her drink.

"You know, to me it sounds like gossiping," Alexx joined in and shared a look with Calleigh who agreed wholeheartedly.

"Gossiping?" Horatio asked horrified. "Never."

"You could've fooled me, Horatio," Calleigh smirked and sipped on her strawberry Daiquiri. "And they say that only women love gossip."

"Which is the truth," Henry proclaimed his opinion and almost choked on his beer, when his wife pinched his side. "Hey!"

"Serves you right," Alexx said sternly, but winked at the other two.

Horatio prudently kept any comment to himself and just smiled to himself. It was amazing in his eyes, that there was still such a playful banter between Alexx and her husband and it was wonderful to be a witness of it. Watching these two and watching the other members of his team made him more and more relaxed. Of course, the small amount of alcohol in his system helped him to loosen up a bit, but it was most definitely the togetherness with his surrogate family.

"Seems like you got a brush off, Wolfe," Eric's voice was heard, when the two men approached the Team's table.

"So? I'm not the only one Delko," the youngest member of the team shot back and sat down next to Calleigh.

"Well, I only got started. It was just a warm up," Eric argued back and sat down next to Horatio and took a big sip of his drink.

"You need a warm up?" Ryan snorted and shook his head.

"You do know, that it shouldn't be a competition to find a nice girl, don't you?" Alexx asked in her stern-motherly voice, indicating that she didn't like what she was hearing. "Instead of trying to beat each other, you should concentrate on the women, you're talking to."

"You know, Alexx is absolutely right about that," Calleigh joined in and wished that the boys would act a bit more grown up. "Treating a woman like a trophy will get you nowhere, I can promise you."

Guilty, if only for a second, the boys looked down and then smirked at each other. "So who wants to dance?" Ryan asked and focused his eyes on Calleigh, whose eyes widened.

"Yeah, Cal.. don't you want to dance with us? And show us how to treat a lady?" Eric grinned.

Nonplussed, Calleigh looked from one man to the other and frantically thought about a good excuse of not to dance with them. She wasn't in the mood for two cocks strutting around her on the dance floor. "Uh…," she started uneasily when her glance fell on Horatio, who was nursing the last bit of his drink. "Sorry guys, but Horatio has already asked me for the next dance," she blurted out.

This was a surprise. Choking on his drink, Horatio looked at her with two raised brows. _"Huh?"_ Seeing the questioning looks of the two men and Calleigh's pleading eyes, he didn't know what to say, and so Calleigh took matter in her own hands.

Without thinking she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of his seat. "Come on, Horatio. It's time for a dance."

Stumbling over his feet, Horatio followed her. When they were a few meters away, he squeezed Calleigh's hand to get her attention. "You know, that's funny. Horatio can't even remember that he asked you for a dance," he said amused and tilted his head.

Turning around, Calleigh gave him one of her best charming smiles and fluttered her eyelashes. "Aww, come on Horatio, you wouldn't help a damsel out of her distress?" she drawled in her best southern tone and pulled him onto the dance floor.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "I didn't say that…"

"Well then stop talking and start dancing," she giggled. "You do know how to dance, don't you?" she teased him playfully.

"Of course I do," he exclaimed and felt like he needed to show her, which he did.

Laughing, Calleigh let herself being lead by him and matched every step that he made. It was more than nice to be so close to him and in a way it reminded her the night they had spent on his couch for the second time. Feeling her hand in his and his hand on her waist gave her shivers and secretly she thanked Eric and Ryan for this opportunity.

***

Several songs and a couple of dances later, Horatio was standing at the bar, waiting for his order. It was his turn to buy a round and he didn't mind that at all. He was feeling fantastic right now. The dancing with Calleigh had been great fun and he hadn't had felt so alive in months.

"You're quite a good dancer. It's rare to see someone dance like this without any Latin blood in him."

Stunned, and not really sure if he was meant, Horatio turned his head to see a woman standing right next to him. She wore a _very_ short dress as far as he could see and he didn't even want to mention her chocolate eyes and flowing dark hair. "I'm pretty sure, that you're not talking about me," he chuckled softly.

"Oh why's that? You definitely are a good dancer, I've watched you…and so have a lot of others..," she smiled at him. "I'm Sophia by the way," she introduced herself.

"Horatio," he answered and shyly ducked his head, since he hadn't noticed that people had been watching him and Calleigh dancing. He had been pretty oblivious to their surroundings if he was honest with himself.

"Horatio…," she repeated slowly. "What a unique name. It's definitely fitting you." A redhead was pretty rare and in Miami…unique, so she wasn't even lying.

Horatio just ducked his head and suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable. It wasn't the fact that she was aggressive in any way, but he had gathered enough experience to know that she didn't want to chit chat. "Thanks," he mumbled and hoped that his order would be ready as soon as possible.

"So…do you think that you have an open space in your dance card for me?" she asked bluntly, since she felt that it would work better with him.

"Uh...," he started and felt even more uneasy. His gaze fell onto his team, which was watching him, especially Calleigh and Alexx.

Sophia followed his look and sighed. "I guess your girlfriend doesn't like it when you dance with other women, huh?" she asked, when she saw the blonde's face. This was a shame. Why were all good looking men already taken?

At first Horatio wanted to correct her, because he and Calleigh were definitely no couple, but when he thought about it for a moment, he realized that this was the best and easiest way out for him. "Yes, you could say so...," he smiled lightly and waved at Eric to help him with the drinks, the barkeeper had put down in front of him. "Sorry," he said softly.

"No need to be sorry. I don't want you to have an argument with your lady," she put him off. "It was nice meeting you, nevertheless," she smiled even when it seemed to be forced and grabbed her drink to leave.

"Same goes for you," he nodded and was relieved when she walked away. He was neither in the mood for a flirt, nor to anything that went beyond that. This was much too early for him and he was definitely not interested. Especially not in a woman that reminded him of his late wife.

"I really want to know how he does that," Ryan shook his head. "I mean…Eric and I…we're trying to get a girl for hours and he's just standing there for a minute not doing anything and gets approached by one hell of a woman." This was so not fair! When both Alexx and Calleigh turned to him and gave him their version of a death glare he shrugged. "What did I say now??"

Alexx just snorted and stayed seated on Horatio's chair, next to Calleigh. She had taken it when Horatio had gone to the bar, to have a small girl talk with Cal. She was a very curious woman after all who wanted to know everything about their dances. Now it was also an advantage because she could talk to Cal without the men eavesdropping. "You okay?" she asked her friend, since she had seen her crestfallen look.

"Yes, definitely. Thank you, Alexx," Cal nodded in response and watched the other woman walk away. She had a weird feeling in her stomach and she didn't know what it was. Jealousy? Or happiness that he hadn't been interested in this Latin Beauty? She wasn't sure. It wasn't her place to be jealous of other women. And she definitely wasn't in the place to feel good because Horatio wasn't in the mood for a flirt. He was a single man after all who deserved some good time. "I'm just happy that he didn't fall for her flirting."

Alexx raised her brows. "Uh-huh," she said knowingly and found this extremely interesting. "So what does that-"

"Here are your drinks, ladies and gentlemen," Horatio announced and did his best to not a let a glass drop onto the floor, or even worse, on the ladies.

"_Damn..,"_ Alexx grumbled in her thought. Why do men always have the worst timing?

Relieved Calleigh leaned back and looked up to Horatio. He thankfully had the best timing, because she wasn't sure if she could share her turmoil of feelings with anyone yet. "Thank you, Horatio," she smiled at him and reached for her colorful cocktail.

"You're welcome," he replied smoothly and took his seat again, after Alexx scurried back to her own. Taking a big sip, due to all this dancing he was thirsty, he closed his eyes and just relished the closeness of his friends and the good time they had together.

"Everything okay, Horatio?" Calleigh asked concerned, since they all knew about his current mood swings.

"More than that actually," he opened his eyes again and looked at her with sparkling blue eyes.

It was like the temperature rose for several degrees when he looked at her like that and Calleigh couldn't help but blush a bit, which didn't get unnoticed by Horatio.

"Maybe I should ask you the same?" he said amused.

"Oh, I'm feeling fine," she said quickly. "It's just the alcohol."

Laughing, Horatio shook his head and poked her arm playfully. "And here I thought you could take more than a few drinks," he teased her playfully and chuckled when she poked out her tongue at him. "Never mind, Cal."

"Like I would listen to some Yankee's comment," she shook her head and grinned at him. She knew that he had too much respect for her situation concerning her dad that he would try to get her sloshed. Horatio was too much of a gentleman to act like that.

"Touché my dear, touché."

***

It was 2 a.m. when the group finally emerged out of the club again. For a real clubber (?) this was quite early, but they all felt the exertions of the past week and so they had decided to call it a night. Now they were waiting for their cabs and to say that everyone was in a very good mood would be an understatement. Both Ryan and Eric had been lucky in finding a nice girl for a dance and Ryan had also got her number, which he was rubbing Eric's nose in.

Alexx had just commented their antics with a "Boys will be a boys" and had chosen to ignore them after that; and so had Horatio and Calleigh.

"Okay, this is our cab," the Woods announced when the car drove into the parking lot. "We had a wonderful time and I hope we can repeat that soon," Henry said while his wife was hugging all of her 'children'.

"I can't agree more. Please get home safely," she said and gave the boys a stern motherly look, while Horatio and Calleigh who had decided to take one cab got a softer one.

"Yes, ma'am," the boys saluted in unison and couldn't help but laugh at it. They probably had the one or other beer too much already.

Alexx just rolled her eyes at them and get into the cab, where Henry was already waiting. Only seconds after they had driven away, the next cab appeared and this time it was Horatio and Calleigh's.

"Okay, gentlemen, I neither want to hear any complaints, nor do I want to find you in the arrest cells on Monday. Do I make myself clear?" Horatio asked them and rested his hands on his hips.

"Yes, Sir Horatio Sir," the two nodded and burst out into laughter again.

"Ooookay…," Horatio sighed and opened the door for Calleigh. "I have a bad feeling about this," he mumbled to himself and got into the cab. Then he told the driver where to go to and buckled himself.

"Don't worry about them. Once they sit in the car, they'll fall asleep immediately," Calleigh giggled. "Too bad that we can't take a picture of them."

"You have quite a mean strike, you know?" Horatio chuckled and rested his head contently against the headrest.

"And you haven't even seen half of it," she quipped. "I overheard a few ladies talking about our Boys in the ladies room and oh my oh my…you have no idea what they said…"

Curiously he looked at her. "Do tell!"

***

They were still laughing when the cab stopped in front of Calleigh's apartment building. "You'd better not tell them," Calleigh warned him and raised her finger to underline that.

"Oh that's highly unfair, Cal. Please...just one remark…a word?" he begged but Calleigh stayed hard. "Oh no, come on," he huffed and was stunned when he looked out of the window. "Hey we're already there."

Calleigh followed his look and sighed. This drive had been much too short for her liking. "Yeah..," she mumbled and knew that their ways would part now. So what she didn't reckon with, was Horatio leaning forward to the driver and asking him if he would wait for a few minutes.

"Certainly, Sir," the man nodded and didn't mind that at all. He would get more money without driving and probably a good tip too.

"Thank you," Horatio nodded pleased and got out off the car, giving Calleigh a helping hand.

"Aww, Horatio you don't have to do that," she told him and didn't let go of his hand.

"Of course I do. A man has to see a woman to the door," he stated matter of factly and did as he said. "What are you giggling about?" he asked after a few minutes.

"First of all, I'm not giggling. I'm just…amused…that you're drunk. I've never seen that before, you know?"

Stopping dead in tracks he made the best deer in the headlight expression. "I'm so not drunk…I'm…uh…tipsy…yeah a bit tipsy probably but definitely not drunk," he pointed out.

"Uh-huh, if you say so...," she said unconvinced and began to search for her keys.

"What does that mean?" he asked and leaned against the wall. "And who's so drunk that she can't even find her keys, huh?"

"Oh believe me, I never find them when I'm…_tipsy,_ or when I'm sober," she joked and finally found them. "That's the curse of a purse," she told him and opened her door. "You never find the things you're looking for."

"Very interesting," he nodded and waited for her to turn on her corridor light and put away her purse. "So…," he started and grinned at her. "I just wanted to tell you that I had a wonderful evening and that I'm really happy that Eric convinced me to come with you."

Smiling she leaned easily against the doorframe and looked up at him. "The pleasure was all mine. I'm glad that you came with us and spend some relaxing hours out of the lab and your home. It's important, you know?" she said softly and patted his arm.

"Yeah…I do..," he sighed playfully and ducked his head. "Well anyway, it was a wonderful night and I have to thank my dancing partner for this."

Blushing she shook her head. "You're more than welcome, Handsome. You really are a talented dancer."

"I dunno…," he mumbled and raised his head again. "Well, I guess I need to go now, or I'll own the cab, since I have to pay a little money," he chuckled and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "Have a nice night then, Cal."

It was a good thing that she already had pink cheeks, because now she would definitely have some anyway. "You too, Horatio," she replied and wanted to return the favor, but didn't reckon with him turning his head.

He didn't know what made him to do that. It probably was the adorable sight of her blushing; the fact that he was actually in a very good mood; maybe it was because of the alcohol flowing in his system; or probably it was because of different, deeper reasons. But what he knew was that he used her surprise to deepen the kiss immediately.

Being totally stunned, Calleigh had no idea of what was going on. The one second they had been talking and now he was kissing her. _He's kissing you Calleigh. Either kiss him back or slap him._ Her mind screamed at her and Calleigh knew that she only had one option.

Horatio groaned in relief, when he felt her kissing him back. This was a lot better than a slap in the face. Carefully he cupped her face with his strong hands and just relished the feeling of her soft lips against his.

Calleigh felt like drowning and clung to his shirt firmly, to steady herself. It's been a while since she had felt like this and in all honesty she wasn't sure if she _ever_ had been kissed like this before.

Horatio was more or less feeling the same way and when he saw black dots dancing in front of his eyes, he gently started to break the kiss. When the two had finally parted, he rested his forehead against hers and tried to get his breathing and heart rate back in control, which was easier said than done. Opening his eyes, he saw that Calleigh was already watching him and he gave her a smile. No words were needed at this moment. They had always had this connection between them. They had always known what the other had been thinking and now it was on a whole different level.

Reluctantly, Horatio stole one last small kiss from her and took a step back. "I'll see you on Monday, Sweetheart," he said softly and before she could answer him, he made his way to the elevator.

Calleigh felt a bit dazed and just watched him leave. Even if her brain would have been in the state to work, she didn't know what to say. Dreamily she touched her lips with her fingertips and still felt the tingle. Without thinking she entered her apartment and closed the door behind her. With a huge grin she leaned against it and closed her eyes. "What a night."

In the meantime, Horatio was outside of the building again and walked to the cab with a certain spring in his step. With a big smile he got in and told the driver his address.

Grinning, the man turned around and gave Horatio a look over. "Lucky devil," he nodded at H, who blushed at this comment and therefore confirmed the driver's suspicion. "A very lucky devil," the man repeated again before he started driving.

Horatio decided to say nothing and just leaned back in his seat. This was definitely a night to remember.

***

Humming to himself, Horatio slipped out of his shoes and tossed his keys and wallet onto the small hallway table. Then he locked the front door and made his way up the second floor. Out of habit, his first stop was at Elena's nursery. When he noticed that she wasn't there, he felt the panic rise for a second, until he remembered that she was safe at her grandparent's. Shaking his head over himself he thought, _"Well, maybe Calleigh was right and you are indeed drunk Horatio…"_ Chuckling to himself he turned around and left the nursery and entered the room on the other side of the hall – his bedroom.

With a sigh he switched on the ceiling light and stopped dead in his tracks. He felt numb. He felt sick. He felt awful. It was like someone has kicked his gut. Turned him inside out. "Oh God…," he choked and held his mid section. She was looking at him. She was smiling at him. And he? He had been in such a good mood. He had been drinking, he had fun, he had danced. He had…done everything wrong. Wearily he sat down on his side of the bed and grabbed the picture frame. With numb fingers he stroked her face and felt sorry. He felt so incredible sorry.

"Marisol," he whispered hoarsely, his voice sore. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." What kind of husband was he? His wife hadn't been dead for 10 months yet and he was already kissing another woman; a co-worker and a friend none the less. "I didn't want to...it just…happened," he tried to explain the woman on the photo, who was grinning at him broadly, even innocently. He had cheated on her. He had promised her to be faithful and yet he had kissed someone else and this tore him apart. Marisol had always trusted him and how did he repay that trust? He kissed another woman. "I'm sorry Marisol, please forgive me," he sobbed and a lonely tear dropped onto the glass.

From one second to the other, his whole mood had changed; from overly happy, to deeply ashamed. And the worst thing was that it was his fault and his alone. He should have known better than going out with the others. He had stepped into the lion's den and now he was paying the price.

Carefully he put the photo back onto his nightstand and started to get undressed. His hands were shaking, not because of the alcohol, but because of the shivers running through his body. Never in his life had he felt so bad, so dirty, so disgusted by himself. Stripping down to his boxers, he got under the covers and wrapped himself around Marisol's pillow even though, after all these months, her scent had vanished more and more. He knew that sleep wouldn't come easy, if at all, because his mind would race about the things he had done only hours ago. He wasn't ready to be with someone else. He wasn't allowed to do that anyway. His body belonged to Marisol and so did his heart. It did, didn't it?

_**tbc**_


	16. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. I know... again a along delay.. RL had been a bit busy, but I promise to update the next ones more regularly, if you want me to. :D**

**Chapter 12**

Nervously and unsure of what was to come, Horatio rang the bell and waited for someone to open the door. Last night hadn't been a restful one. Sleep hadn't come easy and when he fell asleep, he had had nightmares. Either the dreams had ended with Marisol in the delivery room, screaming in pain and suddenly there was the flatline beeping being heard, or he was standing at her grave and suddenly she was standing next to him, telling him that he had betrayed her memory and that she hated him. It was needless to say, that his conscience hadn't improved but gone worse. Sighing he began to fiddle with his sunglasses and got more and more anxious because no one was answering the door.

Calleigh was about to dry her hair, when she heard the bell rang. Surprised she looked up and wondered who her visitor could be. She had just stepped out of the shower a few moments ago, even though it was almost noon. Normally she was an early riser but today had been different. She'd been awake early, but instead of getting up, she had let her mind wander to the preceding night, especially the minutes in front of her door. Even though several hours had passed since their kiss, she had still felt the tingle on her lips. She had always suspected that Horatio would be a good kisser, but she had never expected it like this.

Sighing, Calleigh shook her head to clear her mind and grabbed her gown, since she was only wearing her underwear. Quickly she put her hair into a messy bun and left her bathroom. In the hallway she heard the bell rang a second time, so she called that she was on the way. Whoever her surprise visit was seemed to be either impatient or very keen on seeing her.

When she reached the door, she checked her appearance and hoped for the sake of the other that he wasn't a salesman. There were only a few things Calleigh Duquesne really hated and being interrupted while her beauty care was definitely one of them. Standing on her tiptoes she looked through the peephole and was surprised and excited the same time. "Horatio?" she opened the door and could already tell that something wasn't right. "I thought we will see us on Monday?" she joked and opened the door for him to enter.

His mouth and throat had suddenly gone dry. He had expected her in some loose clothes, but not _that_ loose. Seeing her in just a gown with wet hair was…his worst nightmare. Quickly he shut his eyes, trying to get certain images out of his head. Images, that weren't his to have, especially not about a friend, a co-worker. But yet they were there and he could feel the panic rise again. "I uh...," he stammered and entered the room. He needed to get himself under control. Badly. "Uh..you got a minute?"

"For you always, Handsome. Would you like something to drink?" she asked and closed the door behind them.

"Ah, no. I was just on my way to the Delkos," was his short reply which made Calleigh not only stop in her way to the kitchen but also wondering why he was here then.

"Ooookay, but I'm sure you'd like to sit down?" she asked hesitantly, because his demeanor didn't make any sense to her.

In actual fact he rather wanted to stand, but when he looked at her he decided to sit down on the couch. "Thank you," he said sincerely and folded his hands in his lap.

"You're very welcome," she grinned at his behavior even when she didn't feel like it. Sitting down on her chair, she crossed her legs and looked at him expectantly. "So? What are you doing here, Handsome?" she asked him gently, fearing that one wrong word or tone could scare him away.

"I..," he took a deep breath and looked at her. "I came here to apologize," he said matter of factly.

"Apologize…," she quietly repeated his words and was obviously confused.

"Yes, I came here to apologize for my behavior last night. I had no right to treat you like I did. I'm very sorry, that things got out of hand. You have to believe me that I didn't plan it like this. I don't even know how this could happen, but please forgive me Calleigh. I had no right to kiss you. I wrong-footed you and took advantage of the fact that you were drunk. I don't know if and how I can ever make this up to you again, but please believe me that I feel incredible sorry for that."

All Calleigh was capable of was blinking. His flood of words had struck her and she was literally speechless. Everything she could draw out of his little speech was the fact that he seemed to be very upset about the ending of their night out and he wanted her forgiveness. But how could she forgive him, when there was nothing to forgive? "Horatio I-," she started but was immediately interrupted by him.

"Calleigh, I know what you want to say…," he said, but Calleigh highly doubted that. "I know you're angry with me. I'm angry with me myself, believe me. I just..," he struggled for the right words, but couldn't find them. He had made a big mistake and now he was paying a high price for it.

Calleigh felt like she had entered the famous Twilight Zone. Nothing, really nothing of what Horatio was saying made any sense to her. "Horatio…I don't know what to say", she said quietly and tried to gather her thoughts but gave him, unintentionally, a clue.

"I know…and…and that's why I should better get going," he said and stood up quickly. The panic was rising again when he noticed a single drop of water running down her delicate neck and suddenly he had a lot of inappropriate thoughts. "I really need to go", he said and almost fled out of her apartment.

Calleigh flinched when she heard the door shut behind him and sat in her chair in utter disbelief. Horatio had been like a whirlwind. The one moment he had been sitting across her and the next moment he had fled out of her home, with profuse apologies and hadn't given her any chance to show him her point of view. She felt run over, literally. And when she thought about his words, the fact that he was sorry about their kiss even though he had sounded so different last night hurt her deeply. She had been so sure that he reciprocated her feelings, or at least felt more for her like a friend, because his kiss had told her so. His kiss had been gentle yet aggressive, the perfect mixture. And to hear now that he was sorry about it and claimed that he had taken advantage of her, felt like a stab in her chest. She felt betrayed by him. He had made her the victim though she wasn't and he had taken matters in his own hands and decided for her that it was all a big mistake. Without asking her about her opinion, without thinking about her feelings. Just like that. Like it had meant nothing and probably it hadn't – for him.

Crestfallen she let her shoulders slump and bit back a sob, this has definitely not been what she had been hoping for.

Outside of her condo was Horatio already sitting in his car and rested his forehead against the steering wheel. His heart was racing, the adrenaline pumping in his veins. He had seen the hurt in her face, no, the anger he thought and he had been the reason for it. She would have probably told him the same tomorrow, so it was good that he broke the first ground. He was sure this had been the one and only right way to stop this. Though there wasn't a 'this' anyway. At least not in his mind. No, definitely not. Calleigh would find someone else and why was he even thinking about it? He was a married man…well a widower but this didn't change anything. He had no right to fall in love again, not that he had, but nevertheless. He had done the right thing. Yes.

With a nod to himself he straightened himself up and started the engine. But why did he feel so sick now?

_**tbc**_


	17. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. I'm glad that you still enjoy the story, even though it doesn't look good for DuCaine at the moment. Just wait and see how it will all turn out. ******

**Chapter 13**

At the moment everything was just too much for Horatio and even though he hadn't admitted it in the past, his nerves weren't the best any longer. He had literally lost them several times in the last weeks, which had resulted in him snarling at colleagues and getting surprised glances from the rest of his team. Because everyone knew that especially he, Horatio Caine, was known for his calm temper towards his colleagues and his fairness towards them.

But it wasn't only his team who'd noticed his changes, he did it too. He noticed that it increased that he got upset about things he normally would have smiled at. What irritated him the most were the attempts to mediate from both Alexx and Eric. They told him that he needed to talk about what was depressing him, but he was so sick of talking. There were no words that could describe what he was going through. And there was no one who could understand it.

Meeting Calleigh again and again in the lab didn't make it any easier, more like the complete opposite. Every time he saw her, he felt a sting in his heart and he realized the misery he was in. Every time he saw the hurt in her eyes made him feel like a complete idiot, knowing that it had been his actions that caused that pain. He should have never ever agreed to go to the club. He should have listened to his inner voice and stayed at home; but no he had went out, had drunk too much and now he had to pay for it.

And the bad thing was that it got worse and worse the more days had passed. Instead of getting easier, it was getting harder to stay calm and collected in her presence. And the more he tried to keep himself together, the more he lost his temper. Losing his temper made him mad at himself and there was no way to break out of this vicious circle.

He had begun to assign them to different cases, because in his opinion the more space they had, the better they would get along. This was a complete fallacy of course. For one thing he missed her presence and this unnerved him greatly; second, she was the only ballistic expert in his team and so every time he had a case where a gun was involved he needed to consult her and that was about in almost every case.

***

With a heavy sigh he let the bag containing Elena's things fall onto the hallway floor. He just wanted to get out of his shoes, his suit, getting Elena ready for bed and then have a nice, large drink. It was hard to imagine, but his mood was even worse than it'd been before and the bad thing was, that he didn't even know why. There hadn't been a particular hard case, Stetler hadn't unnerved him and they had actually wrapped up a high profile case successfully, which had bothered them for a few days now.

Still he felt tense and unable to relax. He felt tired, but the same time he was full of energy. He knew that probably just one wrong word or action would cause him to burst and that's why he needed a good drink that would numb his emotions.

He probably needed some vacation; needed to get out of Miami; needed to be alone for some time, but this wasn't an option. It felt too much like running again and he had promised himself that he would never run from his responsibility again. So his options were pretty much exhausted and so a good drink had to do it.

"It's time for dinner and then for bed, Elena," he announced and carried her into the kitchen where he sat her down in her baby-chair. He knew that he wasn't his usual self and so did his daughter who felt the bad vibes coming from him. So she was unusually quiet and didn't babble along, like she normally did, when she was with Horatio and wanted to 'tell' him about her day at grandma's.

Not bothering about what he was going to make her for dinner, Horatio just grabbed one glass of baby food out of the cupboard and put it onto the kitchen counter. "Oh yummy, it's carrots with potatoes and meat," he read out the menu's name and was happy that he didn't have to eat it. He wasn't a big fan of carrots, even though the rumours said that they were good to keep his hair red and eyes sharp.

He opened another cupboard and pulled out her plate, before he casually took the glass in his hands and tried to open it. With a sigh he looked upwards and mumbled to himself, when he couldn't open it. This was most definitely not his day. "Stupid thing," he grumbled and turned it around so he could knock the other side of the glass.

"Get open," he ordered and felt more and more that his patience was coming to an end. And this was never good. "Stupid glass...should have known better than that," he talked to himself, leaned a bit down to have a better angle and used his whole strength. With a loud click the glass lid suddenly opened and Horatio not only lost his balance, but half of the content landed on his stark white shirt and the light wallpaper around him.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!" he growled when he saw the mishap and quickly reached for a wet cloth. But instead of cleaning the shirt, it got worse and worse. Suddenly he had one smeared, big stain of mashed carrots on his formerly white shirt, instead of several small spots.

Enraged he grabbed the curse of his rage and threw it against the wall. With a loud clank the glass burst into millions of pieces and distributed its content all over the kitchen floor and wall.

The room was deadly quiet and the only thing you could hear was Horatio's heavy breathings. Like in trance he stared at the bright, orange spot on his wall, not realizing what he had actually done.

Elena was quiet too, but not for long. After a few moments she pulled a face, her lower lip began to tremble and she started to cry loudly. Not because she got hurt, but because of shock.

Furiously Horatio turned around to face his daughter. "Keep quiet!" he yelled at her, which made Elena cry even harder and Horatio even more furious of course. "I told you to be quiet," he repeated and walked to her baby-chair. With his hands on his hips he looked down at her and tried to make her stop with just his glare, but much to his dismay it didn't work. "Elena," he said and leaned down to look into her eyes and what he saw there shocked him. It weren't the tears, but the faint hint of an emotion he never wanted to see when it came to his daughter – fear.

From one moment to the other his whole demeanour changed. His arms hang loosely by his side, his formerly hard face softened immediately and his whole body language relaxed. "Ellie," he said softly, "I'm sorry. Daddy didn't want to scare you. It's just not his day today." Or better said not his month anyway. Carefully he reached out for her, watching her closely if he saw any kind of discomfort and when he didn't see any, he lifted her out of her chair.

"Come here," he cooed and kissed her temple. Elena wrapped her tiny arms around his neck instantly, which took a great relief from his shoulders; his biggest fear, that Elena would be scared of him, wasn't confirmed. "Daddy won't do it again", he whispered and carried her into the living room where he sat down on the couch.

"You know", he started and put her onto his lap, one arm safely around her, "I know that I'm not my usual self at the moment and I hate that. What I hate even more is, that I can't change it. Everyone is coming to me, asking for advice or help. They look up to me, they look up to Lt. Horatio Caine… but I'm not Horatio Caine any longer. Well," he rolled his eyes and shook his head, "of course I'm still Horatio Caine, but not the one I used to be months ago, you know? When I met your mother," he sighed and gently stroked Ellie's hair which was so similar to Marisol's, "I felt complete. There had always been a part in me that had longed for something… for a relationship, a partner… a family and your mother filled this empty spot. She'd filled it with her unconditional love and trust in me. She'd filled it when we decided to get married and she most definitely filled it when she told me about you", he smiled genuinely.

"And when she died, a part of me died too. This spot was suddenly empty again and from then on I felt incomplete. I've been a better person thanks to her and now I malfunction." He looked at his daughter with sad eyes. "Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't met her. And then… I would look at you and I know that meeting her was one of the best things that have ever happened in my life and I can tell you that there hadn't been a lot of good things in my past." This was also a reason why he was afraid of doing something that would result in Elena being scared of him. He didn't want to become his own father.

"Of course, my team…and so-called surrogate family tried to help me; and even though I love them, they can't replace a partnership. I've spent many years alone, after my first marriage failed and I got used to living alone and spending the nights alone at home. It changed when your mother moved in. There was someone who'd been waiting for me, who I could talk to about the job. It sounds stupid and probably old fashioned but I loved coming home and smelling her wonderful cooking. It's not that I want my wife being tied to the kitchen, but it warmed my heart that she wanted to make sure that I eat. It reminded me a bit of my mother, who was a very talented cook by the way", he smiled sadly. "The moment I entered the house I felt the burdens of my job being lifted away and when your mother smiled at me, I knew that I could start to relax." He didn't know how she'd made it, but Marisol had had a very soothing effect on him.

"The last time I felt this good and relaxed was when I was out with the team and your uncle Eric. It felt so good to be with them, because they just wanted to have a good time. They wanted me to feel alive again and they'd succeeded. They'd wanted to spend time with just me, Horatio. Not Lt. Caine or Horatio Caine, no just Horatio. We had a lot of fun, joked around, drank some alcohol and then…we started to dance." A smile appeared on his face immediately.

"I probably don't look like it, but I can dance. My mother made sure of that when I was a young boy. I love dancing a lot, you can just do it for fun or you can express your deepest feelings with it," he explained Elena, who had at some point rested her head against his chest. "That night I danced with your aunt Calleigh and…it'd been very nice," he admitted and remembered the way they'd danced and they way she had felt in his arms.

"She's a very good dancer and matched me in every step, no matter how slow or fast the dance had been. She'd trusted me in guiding her…us without thinking twice and I felt really honoured by that. In fact I've felt pretty darn good with her on the dance floor and seeing the jealous looks from the other men. Can you imagine that a woman thought that Calleigh is my girlfriend?" he chuckled and added silently, "and that I wasn't in any way offended? Of course she's a good looking woman, she has a heart of gold, but I shouldn't feel like this. I should have corrected the woman, telling her that we're just friends and nothing more. But I didn't, because I couldn't," he let out a frustrated sigh.

"I told myself that I didn't tell the woman so I could turn her down in a nice way, but that's not entirely true. And that's what makes me feel so bad. Your mother hasn't even been dead for a year and I'm already starting to be interested in other women. What does this say about me? That I never really loved your mother? That I just married her to fill this empty spot?" he asked her, though he knew that she wouldn't give him an answer to that, because only he and he himself could answer this.

"I loved your mother, Ellie. And I miss her a lot. And I feel like I've betrayed her memory," he concluded and gave Elena a squeeze. "And now I don't know what to do. Avoiding Calleigh didn't make it any easier and having momma Alexx on my heels is also not a very nice feeling," he sighed, kissed her hair and deeply inhaled her typical baby scent. "Daddy has made quite a mess, huh? Well let's hope that you didn't inherit that from me," he laughed softly and made eye contact with his daughter. "Thank you for listening, Princess. It means a lot to me," he smiled at her and got a laugh in response.

"Yeah I wish I could be as positive as you are," he teased and looked at his watch. "Should we have a second try to get some dinner? It's probably safer when I cook you something, than trying to open a glass," he rolled his eyes. Getting a positive affirmation, he stood up with her and made his way to the kitchen again. Cooking was a very good idea actually, since it made him relax and it was a lot healthier than searching for your answers at the bottom of a bottle after all.

_**tbc**_


	18. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you Daxy for your review. It means a lot to me that you're still reading the story and enjoy it. **

**Chapter 14**

Horatio was a little bit later than usual, when he stopped in front of the Delkos' house to pick up his daughter. Stetler had somehow managed to get him wrapped up in a discussion about his team's appearance again and Horatio, like always, had told him loud and clearly what he thought about such nonsense. Of course he hadn't yelled at him, no he had learned quite early that the quieter he became, the more alert and probably even frightened Stetler became. Of course this never stopped the weasel to snoop around and putting his nose in other people's business, but there was still hope.

He had called Marta when he had entered the parking lot in order to forewarn her about his delay and now he just wanted to pick up his daughter, get some dinner and either read a good book or having a nice warm bath; or probably both. He definitely deserved that after a long day of paperwork and putting together a bomb with a billion pieces. The nightshift supervisor had asked him for his help and being the only member of the lab who had experiences with bombs, Horatio had readily agreed to help him out. Now his back and neck were hurting and he'd have given a lot for a nice massage, but this was sadly but true utopian.

"Horatio, come on in, Son," Pavel opened the door and held it open for his son-in-law. "Marta's already been waiting for you, so is your daughter."

"Yeah, I'm sorry that I'm late, but Rick Stetler was on his war path again," he sighed and entered the hallway. "But I called Marta a few minutes ago, so she wouldn't think that I had an accident or something," he defended himself.

"You know my wife, she's always worried about her family's safety," Pavel replied and closed the door behind him.

"True," Horatio acknowledged and couldn't help but smile, when he heard his daughter's laughter. "Where's my little Princess," he called out before he even entered the living room and chuckled to himself when he heard the particular noises she always made when she heard his voice. Elena was still too young to talk, but in a way he could understand her baby language; at least most of the time that is. "Oh look there she is," he announced and kneeled down, when he noticed that Marta was holding Elena on both her hands. They'd been practice walking for a few weeks now and became better and better every day.

"Hallo Horatio, someone had been missing you greatly today," Marta greeted her son-in-law and slowly walked to him, always aware of Elena being able to follow her.

"Mhm, I missed her too," Horatio grinned and gathered Ellie in his strong arms when they finally reached him. "You did very well baby girl, Daddy is so proud of you," he praised her and kissed her hair. "Mhm and you smell after the new baby shower gel," he noticed a bit amazed.

"Well yeah," Marta sighed, "we've done some gardening today and it seems like your daughter is very fond of mud packs," Marta rolled her eyes and then winked at him. "So there was no other way than having a little bath."

"Well sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do to look pretty, right Ellie?" Horatio chuckled and lifted her up. "Not that you need it anyway," he added as an afterthought. "Thanks for keeping her a bit longer today, I hope I didn't destroy any plans of you?" he looked at his in-laws.

"You didn't, don't worry, Horatio," Pavel shook his head and sat down on the armchair again so he could continue reading the newspaper.

"That's good, well I don't want to keep you off your well deserved evening, so I better get going," Horatio announced, but was stopped by Marta.

"You don't have to leave, Horatio. In fact there's something we want to talk about with you."

"Oh?" he asked surprised. "Has something happened?" he asked alarmed.

"No, no. Why don't you sit down for a bit?" she gestured to the couch.

"Okay," Horatio just shrugged and did as he was told. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I wondered what you have planed for Elena's birthday next week," Marta didn't beat around the bush and looked at him expectantly. Every birthday was something special in the Delko family and was celebrated.

"I…uh…," he mumbled and held Elena by her arms, since she had slid from his lap in order to stand. "Not a lot, I mean…," he shrugged and didn't know what to say. He had never planned a birthday party before, especially not for a baby.

"That's what I thought," Marta nodded, but wasn't angry with him. "I wondered if you want to spend the day here. We could make a small family BBQ and have a cake for Ellie," she smiled at him.

"I can't demand that from you….both of you," Horatio denied. "It's my job to prepare a party and-"

"Normally I would agree with that, but I seriously doubt that you have enough toys, movies and beds for your nieces and nephews," Marta interrupted him. "And by the way, you don't demand it, we offered it. That's a huge difference."

That was true, but it still felt a bit weird to him. He hadn't really planned anything concerning Ellie's birthday, at least not something overly big. The problem was that this day was a happy and a sad one the same time. It was wonderful to celebrate Ellie's birthday but also a day where you would mourn about Marisol's death. "I know," he sighed.

"Listen Horatio, just sleep over it and tell me tomorrow. We don't want you to spend the day alone. As sad as this day is because we lost Marisol, we should make it a special day for Elena. The first birthday is a very special one," she reasoned him.

"You're right about that," he nodded. "I will think about it and tell you tomorrow."

"Good boy," she smiled. "And don't worry about anything; this house is used to big birthday parties. Don't forget that we not only have 4 kids, but also a lot of grandchildren."

"True," he agreed and looked up when he heard the front door being opened.

"¿Mamá, papa? Dondé estáis?"

"En el salon," Pavel called back without looking up from his newspaper article.

"As I said, this house is used to host a lot of people," Marta grinned at Horatio.

"¿Que usted visita?" Maria, the oldest of the Delko children asked when she entered the room and immediately broke into a smile when she saw the visitor. "Horatio, hi, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. What about you?"

"Oh my husband is out with the kids today, so I'm doing really well," she laughed and looked around, acting as if she hadn't seen her niece. "You didn't come without Ellie, did you?"

"Ellie? Oh my God... Ellie!" Horatio played along and slapped his forehead as if something had occurred him.

Elena just giggled and held out her arms to Maria, who immediately walked to her.

"Hola, Ellie. ¿Comó estás mi princesa? How are you, my Princess?" she asked and lifted her up. Of course English would always be Elena's first language, but they also wanted her to get used to Spanish. She had Cuban origins after all and it would be a shame if she didn't get in touch with them. "¿Que has hecho hoy? What did you do today?" she cooed and then looked at her mother who seemed to be a bit tired. "Did you keep grandma on the run?" she laughed and added in praise, "Good girl."

"Maria!" Marta exclaimed and couldn't help but wonder where her daughter got this evil streak from. It must be from her father's side of the family. "Why don't you take Elena outside in the garden and look at the new flowers we've planted earlier this day?" she asked her daughter in a very special tone, which the woman immediately picked up.

"Sure, momma," she nodded. "So Ellie, did you and grandma plant new flowers? That's awesome," she talked to the girl and pitied Horatio. Whatever he had done, her mother would talk some sense into him. Maria had seen such a scene so often in her life, she had lost count someday. Every time one of her siblings or herself had got into trouble, her mother would have had a nice talk with them in the living room and every one else was send into their room or the garden.

Horatio wasn't stupid and since he had been a kid a long time ago, he also knew this type of tone. Now he just wondered what he'd done wrong. He couldn't think of anything recently and thus he was rather confused. All he knew was that he wouldn't get home any time soon.

Pavel looked up from his newspaper and sighed inwardly. He had asked his wife to leave the subject alone, but he should have known better. His wife could be darn stubborn if she wanted to be and he knew better than to have an argument with a Latin woman.

"Marta? Is something wrong?" Horatio asked and hoped that there was nothing wrong with Elena. Marta had a lot more experience when it came to babies and she had probably noticed something Horatio hadn't.

"It should be me asking this question, Horatio," Marta said cryptically and eyed her son-in-law.

This confused him even more. "I'm sorry, but I can't follow you."

"What my wife means is, that Eric came to us and told us about your recent behaviour," Pavel chimed in and folded his newspaper together.

"Right, he told us that you aren't your usual self in the lab and that you didn't want to talk to somebody," Marta nodded and waited for an answer.

Sometimes he hated the fact that his brother-in-law was also one of his CSI's. "Yes," he admitted freely, but didn't dwell on it any further.

"You've also been different in your private life," she stated seriously and would have made a great CSI. Pavel and she had noticed the changes in his behaviour recently, even though they just saw him for a few minutes each day and at first they had laid the blame on Marisol's upcoming obit, but when Eric had told them that this had started already weeks ago, they had grown suspicious.

Horatio didn't know what to say, so he just shrugged. He felt like being interrogated and he already knew that he didn't like that feeling at all.

"What Marta wants to tell you is that we're family, Horatio. I already told you this almost a year ago. We care for each other and if one of us has a problem, we'll do our best to solve it."

"I know, Pavel," Horatio nodded and if it had been a problem with Elena or anything else, he would have come to them. But how could he confide them in this particular problem? How could he tell them that he had cheated on Marisol by kissing Calleigh?

"So? Why don't you tell us about it?" Marta went into it.

"That's…that's not so easy," Horatio sighed and turned his head towards the window. Outside he could see Maria playing with his daughter and he would have given a lot to switch places with them right now.

Marta and Pavel exchanged glances and sighed in unison. Marisol had told them more than once, that Horatio could be very stubborn and withdrawn when he was asked to talk about his feelings by adults. He was pretty good at it when it came to children, though. "Horatio, you're not our son by blood, but you still are a very important part of our family. It doesn't take a genius to see that something is bothering you," Marta tried to open him up.

"We won't bite your head off," Pavel joked lightly in the hope to lighten up the mood and make it easier for Horatio to talk.

"Don't make promises that you can't keep," Horatio murmured and leaned back against the back of the couch. "I did a huge mistake."

Well that was at least a start. It didn't sound good of course, but it was a start indeed. "Okay?" Marta urged him to go on.

Horatio took a deep breath. Would they hate him if he told them? Of course they would. Would they throw him out off the family? Probably. Yet he shouldn't keep it away from them any longer. They'd welcomed him into the family with open arms and so they deserved honesty. "I cheated on Marisol."

Marta gasped and put a hand over her mouth in shock (?).

Pavel's eyes narrowed and he tried his best to keep the anger out of his voice. "When? When did you cheat on our daughter??"

Horatio had seen that coming. He ducked his head and stared at his awfully interesting shoes. "A few weeks ago."

Silence followed. This time it was Pavel and Marta who couldn't follow their son-in-law. "A few weeks ago?" The confusion was evident in their voices.

"Yes," Horatio nodded.

But Marisol hadn't been alive a few weeks ago. This didn't make any sense at all. Suddenly something occurred to Marta. "Do you mean the day when you went out with the team?"

"Yes," Horatio nodded again.

This was interesting. Eric had told them, that they all had great fun that night, including Horatio. He had also told them, that Horatio's change of behaviour had started right afterwards. So this meant that Horatio was telling the truth and something had happened on this day or better said in that night. And what ever this _this_ was, it was bothering Horatio greatly. "What happened that night, Horatio?" she asked gently.

Horatio took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I…I kissed another woman."

Marta looked at her husband who seemed to be relieved in a way, but also not sure of what to say and she could absolutely understand that. This wasn't an easy situation for none of them. There was a lot to talk about, but at first she needed to make one thing sure. "We're not mad at you, Horatio. It's okay, things happen."

Hearing this was a surprise. Taken aback he looked at her and shook his head. "You should be mad at me. Such things don't just _happen_," he declared. "My wife's not been dead for a year and I'm kissing another woman."

"Of course it's a little bit early…maybe…I don't know. I've never been in this kind of situation before, so it's not me to judge of what is too early and what's not. But what I know is that you can't choose of who and when you fall in love. It's God's choice, not ours."

"But what kind of man does that make me, Marta? What kind of husband? I loved Marisol and then... I just fall in love with another? I cheated on her, I broke the promise I gave her on our wedding day and on the day of her funeral. I promised her to be faithful," he talked himself into a rage.

"Horatio…Horatio calm down", Pavel put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's just so... so wrong, you know?" he uttered. "That night…when I came home, I went into the bedroom and saw her smiling face on our wedding picture. I felt so bad for what I've done. Marisol didn't deserve that. I mean… she'd always been so kind, almost innocent like…and I know she trusted me. She did so much for me and how am I repaying that?"

"In passing on the love between the two of you," Pavel said matter-of-factly. "I know that you loved our daughter, Horatio and we also know that she loved you dearly. You have no idea how excited she'd been the day after your first official date. The first thing she'd said to me was 'Papa, I know he's the one and I don't care about his age or if he's Eric's boss. And if you don't like him, I'll be very angry with you'," Pavel smiled gently at this memory.

"Marisol always knew, that her cancer could come back and that she'd probably would never have the chance to grow old with you. She was so worried about it, because she didn't want you to be alone again. That was her greatest fear – you being alone. Our daughter had a big heart, Horatio. She would never want you to stay alone for the rest of your life. That's not her. She would want you to find someone else. Someone who can make you happy again."

Horatio ran his hands over his face. "But why does it feel so bad then?"

"Because your heart and mind are confused. There's still a big part of you that loves Marisol. But now, there's also a small part that is interested in another woman. You feel so bad, because the smaller part is winning. That's what makes you feel so guilty."

Horatio just nodded and silently agreed with this explanation.

"You know Horatio, we can't and won't judge your life. You just have to remember that it's not only about you, but also about your daughter."

"What brings me to the question if this woman knows about Elena," Marta went into it.

"Yes, yes she knows about her," Horatio quickly said and looked at them again. "She does."

"And she's okay with it?" Marta continued asking.

"I…I think so." How could he know when he had proverbially shut the door in Calleigh's face? "I mean, what I know is that they're getting along very well together and that she likes Ellie a lot… I just don't know if she's okay with being more than a babysitter every once in a while," he shrugged.

This sounded suspicious. "She'd babysat Elena before? I thought you just met her in the club?"

"No, I mean yes. Yes, she'd babysat her before and no, I didn't meet her in the club," he answered the question a bit sheepishly.

"Do we know her, too?" Pavel wanted to know.

"Most definitely, yes. You know her pretty well actually." He took a deep breath before he dropped the bombshell. "It's Calleigh."

Marta and Pavel were both equally stunned. "Calleigh? You mean Calleigh Duquesne? Your co-worker?"

"Doesn't make it better, does it?" Horatio asked in return and let out an unbelieving small laugh.

"Well," Marta started a bit unsure, "let's say that it was unexpected. I mean…you've worked together for how many years? Five? And suddenly you're interested in her."

"That's true, but there has always been a connection between us. Nothing," he quickly added, because this came out a little wrong, "nothing beyond friendship though. I wouldn't have married Marisol if I'd been in love with another woman. It's just that she helped me a lot these last months. I can't even explain it."

"Well that's normal for love, you can't explain it," Pavel said and noticed that Maria was coming back. "Listen to your heart Horatio, that's all I can tell you. Find out what's best for you and Elena. Marisol would have wanted you to be happy again and if you're happy with Calleigh, then take the chance. Marisol will be pleased."

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but we have a little diaper emergency here," Maria laughed and held Elena in her arms, who looked as if she was ready to cry.

"Well that's my cue," Horatio stood up, happy about that opportunity to finish the talk. "We'd already be home normally," he apologized and took his daughter in his arms. "We just get you changed and then we drive home, right Ellie? Daddy's getting hungry and I bet so are you."

"The diapers are in the bathroom, Horatio. Do you need help?"

"I think I can even change them while I'm asleep. I'm quite sure that I already did that more than once, since I have no recollection of changing them sometimes," he laughed and left the room with a 'be back in a moment'.

Maria looked between her parents and just knew that something had happened. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing actually," Marta sighed. "It seems like Horatio has fallen in love with another woman."

"Oh? Now…that's great. Marisol would be very happy for him and Ellie."

"That's what we told him, but he's struggling with his feelings. He thinks he betrays her trust and that he breaks his promises."

"¡Pamplinas! Rubbish, he shouldn't think like that. Marisol…will never come back, he should live his life again."

Her parents just nodded in agreement. "We can only hope that he realizes this, because if he isn't happy…Elena won't be happy either."

_**tbc**_


	19. Chapter 15

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. I'm sorry that this is rather short, but I hope you still it enjoy it though. **

**Chapter 15**

It was later that evening, when Horatio was lying on the floor with Elena sitting next to him. After the diaper emergency being taken care off, he had quickly took the chance to say goodbye to the Delkos and much to his relief they hadn't tried to stop him. At home he had cooked himself and Elena dinner and now they were taking a break from everyday life. Or rather said, Elena was busy playing with her _Baby's first building blocks_ where she had to find out which block fitted into which hole, while he was watching her and thinking about the recent talk he had with his in-laws.

He was still surprised, to say at least, that they had reacted so calm and actually supporting when he'd told them about his feelings for another woman and now he was even more confused than before. If they had reacted differently, he would have gotten the confirmation that his behavior was wrong, but now they hadn't done that and this meant that he actually had to rethink it.

With a sigh he sat up and watched Ellie, who tried to put a block into the wrong hole. "That's not the right one, Sweetie," he said softly and scooted over to her until he was sitting behind her and she between his long legs. "You've got a circle there and the hole has the form of a triangle," he explained to her, though he wasn't sure if she actually understood it already.

When Elena let out a frustrated sigh and tried to squeeze the block into the hole, he couldn't help but chuckle. "You're quite stubborn, right Princess? But I regret to say that not everything works your way," he said and carefully grabbed her hand before she would either damage the toy or even worse, hurt herself. "See that's the circle," he said and pointed to the significant hole.

Elena looked up to him and when he told to just 'try it out' she did as she was told and squeaked when it suddenly fitted.

"Yeah, that's my girl," Horatio praised her and kissed her head, nuzzling her hair while doing so. "So you had a great time with Nana? That's wonderful to know. I bet that Nana will have a good night sleep then," he laughed, because he so knew what he was talking about.

When Elena was just a few days old, he had believed that then was the exhausting time, but he had been very wrong. Now, especially since she had begun to crawl and pulling herself up on anything she found, it was much more stressful to keep an eye on her and always being prepared for the unpredictable. It was probably even more exhausting because he was alone and couldn't share the task with someone else.

"You enjoy your time with Nana, right baby girl?" he asked softly and ran his thumb over her cheek. "Being in some female company, hm? Talking from girl to girl…" Of course she couldn't talk yet and he knew that, but he was sure, that she enjoyed having contact with a woman and he was also sure that she needed it. If not now, then definitely in a few years. There were a few things after all, where he couldn't help her with, as much as he wanted to.

"I can definitely relate to that. I grew up without a father," he told her, while Ellie was busy playing with her toy. "Of course I had one, but he wasn't a father, you know? I could never go to him and ask for advice, tell him about problems in school or with girls. I always went to my mom, but there are some things that you don't want to talk about with your mother when you're a boy," he chuckled and couldn't help but turn into a nice shade of pink even though Ellie had no idea what he was exactly talking about.

"Some days I felt very lonely, because there was no one who could really understand me and where I was coming from, even though mom tried her best to help me in every way she could." But sometimes just one parent wasn't enough for a kid. "You don't deserve that future, Ellie. You deserve both, dad and mom, and I'm so sorry that your mother can't be with us. I know how much she wanted that," he sighed sadly. "She'd have deserved it after all she'd been through and you deserve it too. You deserved to meet her." But this was something he couldn't change, no matter how much he wanted to. "You deserve a mom." And even though it was hard for him to admit it, he also deserved and wanted a partner too.

"You know," he said and snatched at a block to fiddle with it since he didn't have his sunglasses with him. "There's a woman who would be a good mom for you, Ellie and to be honest, daddy likes her a lot. But daddy had acted like an idiot and now he doesn't know what to do. The thing is, that I don't know if she likes me as much as I like her, all I know is that she likes you a lot. But then again, I don't know if she would be okay with being your mommy," he sighed in frustration. He knew that it was one thing to baby-sit a child, but a whole different thing to take responsibility for a child that technically wasn't yours.

Just as if she'd noticed his misery, Elena stopped playing with her toy and turned around to look at her daddy.

"I mean, how could someone not like you?" he continued talking and looked into her blue eyes, hoping to find anything in them; it didn't matter if it were answers, suggestions, approval or disapproval, he just needed something…_anything_ to work with.

And she gave him an answer in her own way. Instead of words, she did it in actions and wrapped her arms around his torso and huddled up against him.

Moved by this, he in turn wrapped his arms around her and lifted her up, so it was a bit more comfortable for both of them. For a few long moments, none of them said anything, being completely content to be in each others arms and proximity.

"Is this your way of saying "stop thinking and do something, daddy"?" he broke the silence after a while and smiled when he heard her giggle. "So this means that I have your approval, right? That's so nice of you," he joked and carefully stood up with her. "I wish it would be that easy though," he kept on talking and climbed up the stairs to the second floor.

"I'm really not sure how I can make it up to her," he sighed. "And I'm still not sure if this is what I want. Maybe some sleep will help and that's the cue by the way, it's time to go to bed Ellie," he said and chuckled when she made a disapproving noise. "Uh-huh, believe it or not. But if you're a good girl, I'll read you a story," he promised her and disappeared into her nursery. Now he just needed a good idea of how to ask for a southern girl's forgiveness; a southern girl who could handle a gun like no other one. This was going to be easy…

_**tbc**_


	20. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I'm glad that you enjoyed the last chapter and I also hope, that you'll like this one. I was very happy to see new faces among my reviewers, that means a lot to me. **

**So this is the chapter you all have been waiting for some time now I guess…happy reading. **

**Chapter 16**

Horatio felt as nervous as he had felt all those weeks ago. He had no idea of what to expect and this made him a bit unsettled. He was a man who loved planning and who didn't like surprises. But there was no way to plan this meeting. He had botched the whole situation and now he had to do his best to fix the friendship again, if and only if this was still possible.

In his right hand he was holding his sunglasses and in his left a bag of a local Chinese take-out service. He could only hope that she would accept it as a peace offer but if he was honest to himself, he highly doubted that. He had screwed things up big time and it was his fault alone.

He knew that this was her day off and he knew from Eric that she hadn't planned something special, so he had taken his chance to drive to her condo while his lunch break, hence the take out. And now he was standing in front of the door and was torn between ringing the bell and leaving. The latter sounded good, but he also knew that the more he would stall, the more difficult it would get and that was something that he wanted to avoid by all costs, so he pluck up his courage and pressed the bell-button.

Inside, Calleigh was busy cleaning her apartment. It had always been a good stress reliever for her and stress she had enough, thanks to certain Lieutenants in her life. She was happy that this was her day off, so she didn't have to handle his childish behavior and when the bell rang she prayed that it would neither be him nor her dad. She couldn't deal with any of them now.

She carefully put down the picture frame she'd been dusting, adjusted her ponytail and then walked to her door. There she peeked through the peephole, because you could never be sure who was waiting for you on the other side and groaned inwardly when she saw her visitor. _"Didn't I ask you that it's not him?"_ she grumbled and seriously entertained the ides of not opening the door and playing dead. He would leave then, right?

No, he wouldn't. She knew that he was darn stubborn and that he would either wait for her till she came back (which meant that she couldn't use her vacuum, because he would hear that) or he would leave for now, but would most definitely come back later. And what was even worse, she didn't know if anything had happened and he was here to tell her in person.

"_Next time, I'll be out of town, that's for sure,"_ she promised herself and opened the door. "Horatio," she greeted him coldly and positioned herself between door and doorframe, so he couldn't get in.

Horatio noticed this tone of course and it made him visibly flinch. Maybe this was a lot harder than he had imagined. "Cal," he replied and shifted from one foot to the other. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

"I'm cleaning my apartment. Did something happen to my father?"

"I…no, I don't think so," he replied confused.

"Then why are you here, Horatio?" she inquired.

"I came here with an olive branch and hoped that we could talk?" he more asked than said and held up his bag to emphasize his actions.

Calleigh just looked at the bag and then at Horatio. She didn't move from her spot, instead she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Talk?" she asked. "You mean you do all the talking and I'm compelled to listen to you like the last time?" she sneered. "No, thank you."

It wasn't surprising that her harsh words were hurting him, but what hurt even more was the fact that she was right. He hadn't given her a chance to say something, he had kept on talking and talking and when he had stopped, he had left her. Ashamed he ducked his head and shook it. "No, I meant talking like in the both of us," he replied softly. "May I come in?"

"I'm not sure about that, Horatio. You know, there's no one else here, so you won't have some barrier between us, like in the lab," she said sarcastically. His behavior towards her had been a complete farce. Every time they'd been in one room, he had either used Ryan or Eric as some kind of barrier, so they wouldn't be in close proximity. She had felt like she had some infectious disease and she knew that the boys had noticed it too. Thank God they'd been polite enough to not to ask.

"Cal, you have every reason to be mad at me. I behaved like a fool and hurt you with my actions. That's why I'm here, to hopefully make up my mistakes, if this is still possible that is and I…I wanted to tell you the real reason, why I've been acting like this," he said and looked into her eyes. "I don't know if we're still friends and if not…if we ever will be again, but you deserve honesty. Something I didn't grant you the last time. So please…let me in?"

Calleigh had two options, either closing the door and with it ending their friendship or letting him in into her apartment and into herself. Weeks ago the former would have never come to her mind, but now she was seriously toying with the idea. But when she looked into his pleading eyes, she couldn't help but opening the door a bit wider so he could slip in. She wasn't sure if he knew what power he had over her, but she hoped that he wouldn't misuse it.

"Thank you," he said relieved and quickly entered her apartment, before she could change her mind. "I hope you haven't had lunch yet," he turned towards her, waiting for her to take the lead. "But if you did, that's fine. You can still heat it up later on," he quickly added.

Calleigh was still wary, because there probably was still something in the wind. "I didn't have lunch yet," she answered him and went into the kitchen. "You can sit down in the living room if you want to," she told him and since she was a good southern girl she also grabbed a soda can for him.

"I will, thank you," he said and did as he was told. Then he packed out the small containers and put them onto her coffee table.

"Mr. Wong?" Calleigh asked when she entered the room and handed him his drink.

"Yes," he nodded. "A little birdie told me, that he's your favorite," he smiled and opened his can.

"Mhm," Calleigh just hummed and curiously opened every container to see what's inside. The smell made her mouth water and she suddenly realized how hungry she was. "Just for me?"

"Uhm," he mumbled and fidget in his chair. Actually it was for both of them, since he hadn't had any lunch yet, but if it would make her happy, he would abdicate his part. "Sure…"

"Ah," Cal acknowledged and picked out her favorite – sweet & sour pork and fried rice. She knew that he was lying, but didn't show it. "That's very nice of you."

"You're more than welcome," he replied and cleared his throat when the wonderful smell hit his senses. How should he be able to concentrate on anything else but the oh so tasty food she was eating, while he felt like starving?

"You alright, Horatio?" she asked and mentally laughed at his antics of trying to act nonchalant. Oh yes she was enjoying that greatly.

"Most definitely, Cal," he answered as sincerely as he was able to and smiled lightly when she casually pushed his container towards him. She knew him too well. He had always had a weakness for shrimp and noodles. Quicker than he wanted, he took hold of it and when he noticed her amused grin, he realized that she'd been playing with him. _"Well at least she actually considers you of being worth enough to be played with, so take it as a good sign,"_ he thought to himself and ducked into his meal.

For a few minutes, all you could hear was two people enjoying their lunch and a content hum every now and then. Horatio watched Calleigh eat and hoped that a full stomach would propitiate her, so he would have a better chance to explain motives. He was surprised when it was her, who broke the silence.

"So?" she said and fished for an egg roll from the other container. "You wanted to talk, then talk."

Horatio cleared his throat and took a sip of his soda. Now came the most difficult part of his plan. "Most of all I wanted to apologize for my behavior towards you lately. You don't deserve to be treated like this, because you did nothing wrong. It was me who did wrong."

Calleigh listened carefully while she chewed on her egg roll. "What did you do wrong? Getting drunk and kissing your co-worker?" she asked him and his answer surprised her.

"No." He shook his head. "Well probably yes, it _was_ wrong kissing you when I was drunk, but the real mistake was running away like I did and then acting like a complete fool."

Calleigh raised her eyebrows and put her chopsticks into the rest of her food. "Okay? So why did you do this mistake? Why did you come to me, found one excuse after the other, made me feel like a victim and then rushed out of my apartment?"

Before he replied, he put away his now empty container and took a deep breath. "I was scared," he admitted softly.

"Scared? Scared of what? That I would blackmail you?"

"No never. I was scared of the whole situation I was suddenly in. You know, after Marisol's death, I haven't even looked at another woman and then there was you and we kissed and…you can probably call it cold feet, in fact I literally panicked."

"_Excuse me? Horatio Caine panicked?"_ Now that was something new and Calleigh wasn't sure of how to respond to that. "But…if it just was a kiss, as you said Horatio why did you panic?" She didn't want to mention that it'd been than just a kiss for her; he would probably flee again.

"I felt very bad for kissing you... but not because it was you.. it could have been any woman and I would have felt bad. You know, I actually felt really happy after I left you that night and this went on until I entered my bedroom. I have some photos on my nightstand and well... suddenly Marisol was smiling at me and I felt like I cheated on her," he sighed. "I'm not someone who breaks his promises easily and I promised her to be always faithful and yeah.. at this moment I broke this promise and it made me panic, because to be honest… I'm not sure if this was _just_ a kiss."

Calleigh felt like she needed to pinch herself, because right now she wasn't sure if she was in bed sleeping or if this was real. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well I tried to tell myself, that it was jus a kiss, nothing more. A kiss between two friends who had a good time together, but the more I tried to persuade myself to believe that, the more I realized that this wasn't working. So instead of figuring out my feelings, I locked them up and pushed you away." All the while he was talking he was busy fiddling with his sunglasses. Horatio was never shy off eye contact, except of when it came to his feelings or personal things.

"Wow," was the first thing that came into her mind and in fact she was stunned. She had never heard him talking about his feelings in such honesty and it made her proud that he seemed to trust her enough to share them with her. This was something very special.

"Yeah wow… is this a good or bad one?" he joked lightly, because he didn't know how to react to that.

"To be honest I have never expected something like this. Believe me, I agonized over this again and again, but I never imagined that this is the reason why you pushed me away. I thought that it was probably more like a fling for you and afterwards you were fed up with me."

He shook his head immediately and looked at her. "No, this was never the reason. You…have never been the reason; just me and my bad conscious towards Marisol," he corrected her.

"Good," she replied softly and would have lied if she wasn't somehow relieved by his answer.

"I probably can't ask for your forgiveness, but I do hope that you accept my apology some day and that we can be friends again then," he told her sincerely, because even though he had tried to avoid her presence he had also missed it.

"We've been through a lot together, Horatio and I still want to walk this road with you, but only if you stop avoiding me and actually want me to walk it with you," she replied honestly.

"I do, Cal. I do want that."

"Okay," she sighed relieved and leaned back in her couch. "Since you've been honest to me, I want to be honest with you too," she started and knew that she had his full attention. "The fact why I was so hurt is that…you broke my heart."

Now it was Horatio's time to be stunned. "Yeah? How do you mean that?" he inquired.

Calleigh could have made a bet and win it, because there's no way that he wouldn't have went into it. "Well I missed you and Elena, you know?" she sighed. "Remember our day in the park? Or when you locked me in your house?" she smiled lightly. "I really treasure those memories, because we had a great time together. We were so close and then you turned away from me. It was a pity, that you also avoided me on Elena's birthday party. Of course I know that this day wasn't easy for you since you had to celebrate your daughter's birthday but the same time mourning the loss of your wife, but still…," she shrugged.

"I never thanked you for coming," he ducked his head and understood what she meant. He had felt similar, but had suppressed these feelings.

"I wouldn't have missed that for the world, Horatio. The first birthday is a very special one and I think that Ellie had had a great time." Especially when she had stick her hands in the birthday cake and played with it. The only thing that had made her wonder was that the Delkos had seemed to watch her greatly, but she couldn't think about a reason for it.

"That's true," he chuckled, remembering the same scene. "It was a good thing, that there was also another cake for all the adults." His daughter definitely knew how to keep tasty things all for herself.

"Ryan seemed to be very thankful for it," she giggled. Thanks to his OCD and passion for cleanliness a cake and dirty hands of children didn't go well together.

"I agree," he nodded and felt good like he hadn't felt in a long time. Being in her presence and talking to her made him feel better; that's what he realized again.

"Horatio?"

"Mhm?" he looked questioningly at her.

"What happens now?"

That was a very good question actually and he wasn't sure if he had an answer for it. "To be honest, Cal, I don't know."

She nodded and stayed silent, trying to figure out how to approach the subject, which was obviously hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles. "You remember the situation in the club, when you've been waiting for the drinks and some woman approached you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Uhm, yeah I do. Why do you ask?" he replied.

"I never told anyone," though she suspected that mother Alexx knew without telling, "but when she obviously started flirting with you, I felt…jealous," she admitted and looked down at her hands. "Because she was just your type of woman; she was tall, had dark hair and eyes." It was more than obvious that he liked this type a lot. When she thought of all the women he had dated and been in love with since they knew each other, it had always been this one.

He couldn't deny that his type of woman had been the dark beauty lately, but it hadn't always been like that. Most definitely not. "Yeah," he said softly. "She probably was, but I wasn't interested in her at all. She reminded me too much of what I've lost recently." The fact that Calleigh'd been jealous was however very interesting. "I have also a secret to share," he started and waited till she looked at him. "When she asked me for a dance, she assumed that you were my girlfriend and probably wouldn't like sharing me and to be honest, I never corrected her, but just said yes."

"Yeah?" she asked and wished that this would be true.

"Yeah. We must have been a quite a pair." he nodded and shared a hesitant laugh with her.

When the silence between them became too awkward, he decided that now was the time to be honest to her. "Cal, I can't promise you anything right now. There's a battle inside of me and until now, I don't know who will win. My heart tells me to go for it, while my mind tells me that it's too early and that I'm not supposed to break the promises I made. I just hope that you can probably wait for me," he rather asked then said.

She knew that he was a man who stood to his promises and she could only imagine what was going on inside of him, but yet this didn't make it easier for her. "Mhm," she mumbled and gave him a tight smile.

He looked at his watch and noted much to his dismay that his break's been over for quite some time and that he needed to get back to the lab.

Calleigh had done the same and knew that he needed to get back. Since she had her day off and Horatio was here with her, the boys would have their hands full and Stetler was just waiting for such a situation to use it against Horatio. She stood up from her couch and offered him a hand. "Let me bring you to the door," she told him and just nodded slightly when he thanked her for the gesture.

At her door they said goodbye and she watched him walking to the elevator. When it arrived and the door opened, she plucked up her courage. "Horatio?"

"Yeah?" he turned around, standing in the doorway so the elevator wouldn't close its doors.

"I can't wait forever."

He gave her a soft smile, reading between the lines. She wasn't reluctant to give them a chance, but the ball was in his court now. "I know," he replied and stepped into the elevator, which door immediately closed. Oh boy didn't he know it…

_**tbc**_


	21. Chapter 17

**A/N: *happy sigh* Thank you all so much for your reviews. I was hoping that you enjoyed the last chapter, since it was a very important one for the story. There aren't that many chapters left I have to admit, but I hope that you'll stay with me and the story till it's finished.**

**Chapter 17**

Two weeks later, Sunday morning found Horatio and Elena visiting one of the several graveyards Miami's. Today was a special day and even though they couldn't celebrate it as they'd wished to, they'd of course made their way to their special someone. Now, Horatio was kneeling in front of a gravestone, Elena was standing in front of him and one arm was firmly wrapped around his daughter's waist.

"No Ellie," he told her and kept her from trying to grab the fresh roses. "They have thorns and I don't want you to hurt yourself," he explained and decided to make himself a bit more comfortable and sat down on his backside. He normally didn't do that on a graveyard, because it somehow felt too casual, but then again, this was a free land and sitting was definitely more comfortable than kneeling; especially when you wanted to stay longer and had to keep a toddler in check. "Plus, they're mommy's birthday present," he added and carefully readjusted the flowers.

"Hey Marisol," he started and made Elena sit down in his lap. "Happy Birthday, Darling. I wish we could celebrate this day together, just the three of us," he continued and had to smile a bit, "and... well maybe your family, because they would never agree with having no big birthday party," he added and reached for Elena's drinking bottle.

"But nevertheless, I wish you'd be here, because we're missing you, especially on such a date." Of course there was no day where he didn't miss his late wife, but on such occasions it was harder than on others. "I know how much you liked celebrating your birthday, even though you always made a fuss about your age," he joked though it was true, "but sadly, it wasn't meant to be. We have a Strawberry Cheesecake at home though; I know how much you liked eating it."

They hadn't known each other for a very long time, but they had quickly grown used to the other ones habits and preferences. He knew the reason why Marisol loved celebrating her birthdays had had a plain and simple background; she had never known if it'll be her last one or not, due to the cancer. Why she had never wanted to be reminded of her age though, he never found out. He had asked her once and her response had been mysterious and unsatisfying the same time; according to her it was a woman thing and a number should never determine of how old you really feel.

"Well I'm sure Ellie will have a lot of fun with playing with the cake, like she had with her own one a few weeks ago," he continued talking and ran his finger over the stone's inscription. "I know you saw that and please don't be mad at me, the ruined shirt was enough punishment already," he chuckled and was surprised of how good he was actually holding up. The first few times when he had visited her, he had felt very bad and didn't know what to tell her. Now, he felt pretty good talking to her about all the things Elena and himself had experienced. For some people it may sound weird, but for him it was also a stress reliever.

"I can't believe that it's already Christmas in two weeks, the second one we have to celebrate without you," he sighed and didn't know where the time had stayed (??). So much had happened in the last year and it was sometimes very hard to keep up with everything. "But don't worry, your mom already invited us to the big Delko Christmas party," he added with a small smile. He hadn't attended it last time, since he had wanted to spend Christmas alone with Ellie, but this time he had accepted the invitation. In fact he didn't want to be alone on this very special day of the year.

"I'm sure it will be very nice and I'm curious if Eric will bring some new girlfriend along. I've heard some rumors going on, but we both know your brother, right?" They'd had more than one conversation about Eric's wastage on women. "And I'm not sure if he's actually brave enough to do so, because then your mom will be all over him and the girlfriend." Now this could be funny.

"Anyway, I'm sorry that I'm not as often here as I'm probably supposed to, but...you know me. I'm not very good in visiting the graveyard, at least when it comes to my family. I really wish I didn't have to come here, but it seems like God had other plans for us." He ducked his head and took both of Elena's hands in his own. "I know that you're watching over us and that you already know about what has happened between me and Cal. What I don't know is if you can forgive me, I can just hope," he continued quietly. "The same goes with me being a good father for Elena… I can only hope that I meet your expectations and that you're satisfied with me. If not… just let me know...somehow."

He looked up when he heard Ellie laugh and looked to his right, where a beautiful butterfly had landed on the grave next to them. With a smile he watched his daughter who was totally enthralled by the petite creature, which seemed to soak up the sun. "Beautiful isn't it Ellie?" he asked her and shot a glance to the tombstone. "I hope that it's a sign that you're okay with my qualities," he commented and watched the butterfly flying away.

"I think that's our cue, Ellie," he said and let go of her hands in order to stand up slowly. With a groan he pulled a face and cursed his old bones. Once again he leaned down and stroked the white marble stone. "We love you." With that he picked Elena up and grabbed the handles of the pushchair. There wasn't anyone else he wanted to visit today, so he pursued the way to one of the exits where he had parked his car earlier.

***

After a couple of meters and a slight turn, he saw two elderly people heading his way. He didn't know why, but it felt like he knew them from somewhere, he just couldn't place from where. Unconsciously he slowed down his walk to have a better look at them and when they were only a few more steps away, scales fell from his eyes. Of course he knew these people! "Mr. and Mrs. Speedle?" he asked loud enough for them to hear and hoped that he didn't mix them up with someone else.

The elderly couple stopped when they heard their names and looked rather surprised at the man. "Lt. Caine?" they asked in almost perfect unison.

"Yeah," he nodded and bridged the last few steps (??) between them. "I didn't know you're in Miami," he said and hadn't thought that they actually would visit Miami at all, since the city didn't hold any good memories. Of course, their son was buried here, and that was definitely the only reason why they were here, but nevertheless, it surprised him a lot.

"We…we wanted to visit Timothy," Arthur Speedle started and had protectively wrapped his arm around his wife's waist. "You see, it's always so hectic in New York when it's Christmas and we…wanted to wish him a merry Christmas," he explained rather awkwardly.

"I understand," Horatio nodded and he felt like he was walking on eggs around them. These people hadn't known him until he had to make the most hated calls in his life, so the situation was a bit tensed. "How are you?"

"Some days better than others," Janet Speedle replied and for the first time really looked at the Lieutenant in front of her. "You have a daughter?" she asked surprised.

Horatio just smiled and nodded. "Yeah," he confirmed the obvious.

"We always had foster children in the past," Arthur said and added a bit more quietly, "Timothy probably told you about that."

Speed hadn't told him about it, in fact he hadn't spoken a lot about his family in general, but Horatio didn't want break the Speedles' hearts. "Yeah, he did," he lied. "I can only imagine that there has always been a lot of going on. I mean I know what Elena is capable of, but with more children," he chuckled.

"The house was always lively, that's for sure. Probably a reason why Timothy didn't want to stay," Arthur replied.

Janet instead was focused on the little princess in Horatio's arms. "How old is she?"

"She just turned one," Horatio answered proudly.

"The first birthday is always the most important one," Janet said. "Especially for such a lovely little girl."

"That's true," Arthur chimed in. "So I think that well… we don't have to ask you how you are, it's more than obvious." He could see that the Lt. was in a very good mood. Who could blame him? He was alive and a father, something he had wished for his own son.

"In a way, no," Horatio said, because he could sense what Arthur was implying. "But then, not everything is always as it appears," he added cryptically, but revealed the truth nevertheless. "Ellie's birthday will always be a bitter sweet day." Noticing the confused faces, he took a small breath and continued. "My wife died on the same day Ellie was born. In fact, she died during giving birth so it's not easy to celebrate…," he shrugged helplessly.

The confusion drained away and compassion took over. Losing someone you loved was never easy, but losing your wife on such a precious day, was even worse. "This is horrible," Janet covered her mouth with her hand.

Horatio gave her a half smile and switched Elena from one arm to the other.

"We're very sorry for your loss, Lieutenant," Arthur said and held out his hand.

"Thank you," Horatio replied softly and accepted the hand immediately. "And I know that I told you before, but I'm really sorry for your loss, too. I wish I could turn back time and change the past, I really do."

The Speedles just nodded silently. "Timothy was a good man."

"That he was," Horatio agreed. "He was a good man, a good CSI and most of all a very good friend; a friend we still miss dearly every day. He helped a lot of people and if you ever need to talk, don't hesitate to call me. I might not have known him for such a long time, but we were pretty close."

"It was good that he wasn't alone when he…when he died." This had been one of the first questions they had asked Horatio, after the news had sunk in. "That he was with a friend."

"Yes," Horatio whispered and did his best to keep out the images of Tim lying on the floor, struggling with breathing. "He wasn't alone."

Silence spread out, everyone deeply absorbed in their own thoughts.

"Well I think it's time for us to go," Arthur began to speak again and took his wife by the hand. "It was nice meeting you again; I just wish it would be under better circumstances."

"Indeed," Horatio agreed wholeheartedly and shook hands with both Speedles. "My offer stands. If you ever have questions or a problem, just give me a call, that's the least I can do."

"That's very nice of you, but don't blame yourself for it. It was an accident; no one is to blame except of fate maybe." Horatio had told them immediately that the gun had malfunctioned and that it hadn't been Tim's fault. It hadn't made it easier of course, but they had clung to the fact that their son had learned from his mistakes in the past.

Horatio just nodded and wished that he could accept it as fate, but he couldn't and probably never would. Turning his head slightly he watched them go and even though he knew that he had lied to them about the gun, he didn't feel bad about it. He knew from own experiences how he had felt when Calleigh told him the real reason for the malfunction and that's why he had decided to never tell them the 'real' reason. They only knew what was officially written down in the file and everything else was just between himself and Calleigh.

When they eventually disappeared out of his sight, he gave his daughter a gently squeeze and continued walking. "You know what, Ellie? I think we should get home, have an early lunch and then go to the beach. What do you think? You can play in the sand and then we can cool down in the water." Well, as good as you were able to cool down in the warm water anyway.

"Would that be okay with you?" She definitely had the affinity to the sea from her dad that was for sure. At least that was what her delighted giggle was telling. "So it's a deal," he laughed at her antics and put her into the chair, so they'd be a bit faster. "Vamos a la playa," he chuckled and hoped that this would help to make him forget about all the sad things, if only for a couple of hours.

_**tbc**_


	22. Chapter 18

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews. This is the last chapter of the story.. well.. there'll be a****n epilogue if you want to.. I don't mind at all. Just tell me what you think and I'm happy to fulfill your wish. **

**Chapter 18**

A lonely figure was standing on the patio of their garden. The sun had already set, due to the time of day, and was now illuming the sky with wonderful reddish and orange colors. The sky was clear, no cloud could be seen and the first stars were starting to appear. It would be the perfect weather for subsequent events this night, because it was a very special day today.

Today was the very last day of the year, December the 31st and later on there would be a big firework on the beach, with thousands of bystanders. But this wasn't interesting for the lonely figure. He had never been much into fireworks and crowds of people had never been something he would enjoy. No, he would spend this day at home, without ruffle or excitement and in the hope that the loud noises won't frighten his daughter,

Furthermore, he had a lot of thinking to do and decisions to make. This was New Year's Eve after all and when if not on this day were decisions made that should change your future?

With a small sigh he leaned down a bit and rested with his forearms on the wooden railing. His sight wandered upwards to the sky and for a few moments he just relinquished the feeling contentedness that was surrounding him. What he didn't realize though was that he was watched by someone else.

With a smile, Calleigh did her best to not spill any of the wine she was carrying when she closed the slide door behind her. "Here you are," she said softly and walked to him. "We already wondered if you left us in order to watch the firework," she teased and held out a glass for him.

"Oh I still have a few hours left, so don't give me any ideas," he countered playfully and took the glass. "Thank you."

"You're welcome; I thought it would fit to our dinner. I hope you don't mind that I snooped around in your wine rag?"

"Not as long as you share your findings with me," he chuckled and took a small sip of his drink.

"Scouts honor," she promised and mimicked his posture. "So what are you doing out here, while we're slaving in the kitchen for you?" she asked him with a small hint of curiosity.

"Thinking," he answered cryptically. "And enjoying the silence."

"Was that a hint?" she looked up to him.

He gently shook his head. "No, I don't mind sharing the silence and breaking it every once in a while."

"Glad to hear," she smiled and leaned against him.

Automatically he wrapped his arm loosely around her shoulders and grinned to himself when he heard her sigh. "Cold?"

"Mhm, a bit," she nodded almost unnoticeable. "That's rather stupid, isn't it? I mean it's still 68°F and I don't even want to imagine how cold it's in other cities."

"Well I think the Miami weather has made us more sensitive to such degrees. I mean I was born in New York and it can get really cold there, but you're so used to the high temperatures here that I'm also feeling cold when it hit the 68°F. So no, it's anything but stupid in my eyes."

"Do you miss the lower temperatures?"

"So, so. When it's Christmas, yes. I miss celebrating Christmas with snow and when it's really humid here, I miss it too. But otherwise…no."

"A typical white Christmas, huh? Now this would be nice. No Santa wearing Bermuda shorts," she giggled.

"Don't remind me of that;" he groaned. "Santa in Bermudas is just wrong and should be forbidden."

"Well that's Miami, what did you expect?" she teased and sipped on her wine.

"Not Santa on a Jet Ski, that's for sure," he replied and made himself the promise to show Elena a real white Christmas one day. Not preferably in New York, but there were several other places where they could go to. "By the way, what are you doing here actually? I mean except of interrupting my thoughts and not slaving in the kitchen for me, as you put it so nicely."

"Well I'm here to deliver a message from your daughter," she smirked at him.

"Oh? Now I'm curious. What is it about?"

"That dinner is ready in about 10 minutes and that you better won't be late, because we don't want the food to get burned or worse," she replied in a mocking threatening tone.

"And we can't let this happen, can we?" he played along

"Nope," she shook her head and let her hand ran over his back.

"I'll promise to be on time," he smiled down at her and squeezed her shoulder lightly.

Taking the cue, Calleigh carefully disentangled herself from his grip and gave him the chance to be alone with his thoughts. "Horatio?" she asked just before she stepped into the house again.

"Yeah?" he turned his head towards her direction.

"Don't let us wait too long." With that she entered the house and closed the door behind her again.

Horatio couldn't help but notice the double entendre. He and Calleigh had started to rebuild their friendship once again for the last weeks and until now it had been quite a success. He had stopped ignoring and avoiding her at work and this had improved their relationship greatly. He hadn't thought that their working relationship and their friendship would be so deeply entwined, but now he knew better.

But it hadn't stopped with spending more time together in the lab; no it had also carried over into their private lives and had ended in him inviting her over for New Year's Eve. He knew that she'd given him time and he didn't take that for granted. He could only imagine what she was going through, since she didn't know if he would give them a chance or not.

So what was he actually doing here outside when Ellie and Calleigh were waiting for him? This was a very good question and in truth, he couldn't really answer it. There was still something that stopped him to embrace the new chance he'd been given, he just couldn't say why.

So much had happened in the past few months; there was so much he had to come in terms with and even though he never had problems with making decisions while work, it was difficult for him to make them in his private life, especially if they were of great importance.

"What am I going to do?" he mumbled to himself and looked at the last remaining of his wine. He knew that he had to make a decision, he owed Calleigh that. But what if he made the wrong one? What if he made the right one? He didn't know. What was right or wrong anyway?

With a sigh he once again rested his arms on the railing and looked into the now darker sky. His heart told him to take the chance, the past had shown him more than once that life can be short and that you could easily regret things you haven't done. More than once he had had Speed's reply playing over and over in his mind again for the last weeks.

"_I've got plenty of time for that."_

Life had told them otherwise.

Life could be too darn short and it didn't matter if you were young and healthy or sick and old. Fate would always get you.

Marisol and he had planned so many things together, but one minute, one second had changed everything. And once again fate had interfered with his life in bad way.

So what if it was finally interfering with his life in a good way?

What if this was the way it was meant to be?

What if Pavel and Marta were right about Marisol not wanting him to be alone?

What if it was Marisol's doing that Calleigh had entered his life in such a way?

What if she wanted him and Elena to have someone they could lean on?

What if…

What if…

Taking a deep breath, he raised his glass towards the sky. "To you, Mari. Fate had other plans than we did, but you showed me that there's always something good beneath all the bad. I just hope that I'll make it right this time. I know we will meet again someday and until then I should live our dream. There will always be a place in my heart just for you and I will never forget you. I love you."

He took the last sip, nodded towards the sky and entered the house. Quietly he made his way to the kitchen and watched the wonderful scene that was playing in front of his eyes. Calleigh and Ellie were busy blowing on the rolls that seemed to be a bit darker than they usually were and laughed at the same time, which made their task even harder. At this moment, he knew that he had made the correct decision, so he made himself known by clearing his throat.

"I think Cal…I think that thinking and waiting is overrated." The smile he got in return was more than he could ever hope for.

_**tbc**_


	23. Epilogue

**A/N: So.. here is the epilogue of the story and therefore the very last chapter. Thank you all again for reviewing the story, it always meant a lot to me reading your comments. I hope you enjoy the epilogue as much as I enjoyed writing it. **

**Jess**

**Epilogue**

Calleigh felt a little bit unsure when she stopped at the grave and read the inscription on the gravestone. She'd never been really good at such things, talking to people who weren't there, and the fact that she'd never been close to this person didn't make it any easier at all. Still she needed to get something of her heart, no matter if it probably wasn't of any use.

With a smile she noticed the colorful bouquet of roses in the small vase on the left side of the stone and knew immediately who had left them there. Especially the pink ones were a dead give away. It may sounded selfish, but the fact that there was no red one, warmed her inside; she knew that this certain visitor showed their feelings with flowers and a red one would have probably made her a bit doubtful at first. But then again, she couldn't and wouldn't ever blame him.

Shaking herself, she took a deep breath and reminded herself that she wasn't here for spying, but for talking. "I'm sure you're surprised to see me here and to be honest I'm surprised myself. I probably don't even have the right to be here and ask you for a big favor, but I could really use your help."

It felt really weird to talk to a stone and Calleigh couldn't help but smile at the situation; but now that she'd started it, she would get through it. "It's about Horatio, well no surprise here, and Ellie," she continued with a smile. "I know that you didn't know Horatio for that long, but I'm pretty sure that you noticed that he's…prone to trouble? I mean… do you know any other man who drives a car with a ticking bomb inside?" she asked and waited as if she was waiting for a response. "See? Me neither. So I think its okay to say that he attracts trouble," she concluded.

"That's why I need your help to have an eye on him and on Ellie, too. She's his daughter and we can only pray that she didn't inherit it from him, but truth to be told, as far as I understand it, all Caines are attracting trouble, either on purpose or by accident," she sighed. "I'll do my best, but I can't be everywhere so it'd be very much appreciated if you can keep an eye on them."

Casually she slid her hands into her pockets and looked a bit around. "I know that he still loves you," she said softly. "And that's okay for me. You've given him a very precious gift and he will always love you for that. Horatio isn't a man who just falls out of love, at least that's not the man I know; so be sure that you'll always have a special place in his heart. And you know what? You have one in mine too. Without you…I don't think that Horatio would have opened up again after Tim's death. You probably didn't realize it, but you made him flourish again and I'm very thankful for that."

She took a small step backwards. "And I'm also thankful for the fact that you probably gave him your blessing to find someone else. I know that he talked to you and I'm sure that this made him realize one thing or the other. So thank you Marisol for trusting me enough with your family." A family, Calleigh had sworn her heart to.

"I'm not sure if I'll ever come back here again, but I just needed to talk to you at least once. Goodbye, Marisol," she made her farewells and turned around to go. There were two Caines waiting for her and she didn't want to imagine what they were up to again.

***

About 15 minutes later she arrived at home and stopped her car on the driveway next to Horatio's private car. Of course, it wasn't _their_ home (as in the three of them), but it had most definitely become her second home in the last couple of months and she didn't mind at all. She loved Horatio's house and the garden, which was a real privilege when you were living in a big city.

Furthermore, her apartment wasn't designed to host three people, especially not a toddler and so it was always easier to stay at Horatio's than at hers. She had a small portable playard indeed, but this was more for exceptional situations, when it was too late to drive back.

They hadn't talked about moving together yet, but they had some kind of silent agreement about it, since Calleigh stayed almost every night and had probably more clothes stashed here than in her apartment.

With her own key she opened the front door and entered the pleasant coldness that was surrounding her immediately. It was one of these hot early summer days in Miami where you could either stay at home or go to the beach to get refreshed by the sea. Apparently though, the rest of her family had found a third way to spend this day; that's what it at least seemed like when she didn't find them in the living room, but the patio door slightly opened.

Curiously she walked to the glass door and couldn't help but fall in love with the sight in front of her. Horatio and Ellie were sitting in a baby pool and played with some toys, oblivious to the world around them. She made a quick decision and grabbed the camera that was waiting on the sideboard next to her; quietly she opened the door and tiptoed outside. There was no way that she would miss this rare chance to see Horatio like this.

Before she even registered it, she'd already made a couple of pictures and after she'd made sure that they weren't blurred, she put the camera onto the patio table and went downstairs to her two water lovers. "So are you enjoying your pool party?" she grinned and stopped next to the pool.

Horatio hid it well, but he was definitely startled by Calleigh. Normally he always knew when someone was watching him, especially when it was Calleigh, but it seems like his radar was out of order today. "Of course we do, Sweetheart," he grinned and pushed the yellow duck towards Ellie again.

"Hi," Ellie grinned and waved at Calleigh.

"Hey, Sweetness. Are you having fun with daddy?" Calleigh kneeled down next to her and gave her a hug and a kiss.

"Yes," she nodded enthusiastically and giggled when she got kissed.

"That's great. And I see that you're wearing your lovely pink Bikini and summer hat. You look beautiful," she praised her and was head over heels for this little girl.

"Well my daughter is always up to date when it comes to clothes, must be a Caine thing," Horatio chuckled and readjusted the sunshade a bit. He had put on some lotion on Ellie of course, but he didn't want to risk her getting sunburned.

"Funny you say that Mr. Caine, but it seems like you must have missed the latest memo," Calleigh teased him and eyed his dark blue swim shorts.

"What?" Horatio asked and followed her sight. "What's wrong with them? You don't seriously believe that I would wear pink ones, do you?" he asked stunned.

"Well why not? If you want to be up-to-date as you said, you have to go with the flow and this means pink my dear," she giggled. "You know just yesterday I saw a very nice swim short in white with big, pink flowers. I think they would fit you just perfectly," she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Don't you dare," he growled playfully and made a motion to splash the water.

With a start Calleigh got up. "Stop that," she said alarmed and took a step back. "And anyway, it was you who said something about the Caine trendiness, not me," she upped the ante.

Horatio just smirked at her and this time he really splashed the water and hit her just nicely. Her shocked face was worth all the tirades he would hear now.

"Horatio!!" Calleigh shrieked and looked down at her T-Shirt that now had dark spots everywhere.

"That was the revenge for slandering about my choice of clothes," he replied nonchalant and winked at his daughter who was enjoying the adults' antics.

"In…in..," she looked at Calleigh expectantly and bashed the water.

Calleigh, who had now taken a few more steps away, shook her head and eyed her boyfriend suspiciously. "Sorry Ellie, but there's not enough space for the three of us. Another time," she replied. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy being in the water, but she was anything but dressed for a little swim. "And I didn't slander Mr. Caine, I just told you that you should probably consider wearing other colors than these somber blues and blacks," she played with fire again, but knew that he couldn't hit her from this distance.

"In..," Ellie repeated her request.

"No Sweetie, not today," Calleigh said and tied her hair to a pigtail.

"You know what I think, Ellie? She's afraid of the water," Horatio chimed in. "And there's only one therapy for that," he said in a tone that spelled trouble. With a start he got out of the water and ran towards Calleigh, the moment of surprise clearly on his side.

Calleigh just yelped and did her best to escape him, but the garden wasn't as big as she wished and so this was rather difficult.

"You can't escape," Horatio laughed and used his advantage of being taller and faster without mercy. The fact that Calleigh almost stumbled over her own feet sealed her fate in the end. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and pressed his wet body against hers.

"Horatio stop that," she shrieked and laughed the same time. "You're making me all wet," she complained loudly and tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

"It's warm Sweetheart," he laughed and suddenly swift her from her feet and carried her to the baby pool.

"Horatio...Horatio don't you dare.. don't you dare," Calleigh warned him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm not wearing swimwear."

"So?" he just shrugged and stopped right next to the pool. "There's nothing that won't dry again."

Calleigh felt her jaw drop. He wouldn't do that, right? No, he wouldn't. He wasn't that mean, was he? No, he.. "Horatio!" she screamed when she felt like falling and frantically clung to his neck.

"Oops," he chuckled and lifted her up a bit. "You're really afraid of water, hm?"

Confused she looked at him and just slowly it dawned to her that he didn't let her fall. She took a deep calming breath, but didn't lose her hold. "Yes, when I have my cell in my pocket and when I'm wearing normal clothes," she told him and turned on her charm. "And you wouldn't want my clothes ruined, hm? Not to forget my cell?" she purred and stroked his cheek.

"Hmm," he tilted his head and thought about it. "I'm not so sure about it. On the one hand…it would be pretty mean, right?" he asked and saw her nod. "But then again, it would be really funny," he smiled devilishly and opened his arms again so she would slip downwards again. Her surprised scream was music to his ears, but of course he saved her once again. He probably wouldn't do that if this was a deep pool and when Ellie wasn't sitting in it, but he didn't want anyone to get hurt.

"Smarty-pants," Calleigh mumbled when she overcame the first shock. "Will you be a sweet thing and let me go again?"

Horatio just nodded and carefully put her down again on the grass. "Better?" he asked.

"Much better," she smiled and gave him a sweet kiss. She loved moments like these, when he came out of his shell and let out the rascal in him. He was utterly cute like that, not that she would tell him so, but nevertheless. It had taken them months to get here and with every day she became more and more attached to him. "I love you," she whispered and her heart skipped a beat every time when he returned the words…..

"I love you too," he smiled and stroked a lonely strand out of her face.

….because every time when she heard these words, she knew that he belonged to her as she belonged to him. She knew that he was not only _giving_ them a chance, but _living_ it. Before New Year's Eve, almost six months ago, she'd been so unsure if he'd open his heart again, but now she had the certainty. This was also a reason why she hadn't minded waiting for the very last step in their relationship and in fact it she was sure that waiting had been for the best.

"Daddy…Mommy…in," Ellie broke the silent communication between the two adults, who looked sheepishly at each other.

Horatio stole one last kiss from Cal and turned to his daughter. The first time when she had called Calleigh 'mama' and later on 'mommy' had been weird in a way and he wasn't entirely sure, but he believed that even Calleigh had felt a little bit awkward at the very first moment. Of course this had quickly changed into pride, but still it had been a major step in their lives. Now it felt natural to call Calleigh 'mommy' when he was talking to Ellie and there was no guilty feeling from his side. Calleigh was indeed the only 'mommy' Elena knew and just because she wasn't here biological mother, didn't mean that she couldn't be her mom. She cared deeply for her, Horatio could hear that in every word when she was talking about Ellie, and nothing else mattered. One day they would tell Elena about her other 'mommy', but for now it wasn't important.

Calleigh on the other hand was still shocked sometimes when Elena called her 'mommy', because she had never imagined this to happen. She was sure that her jaw had dropped the first time when Elena had called her 'mama' and she'd been very unsure about Horatio's reaction to that. But once again the man had surprised her and instead of correcting Ellie, he had immediately adopted the appellation. Now she felt only pride when she heard this word

"It's getting a bit chilly," Calleigh said and rubbed her arms. "I think it's better to get her changed," she looked questioningly at Horatio and waited for his Okay.

"You don't need to wait for my approval, Cal," he chided her softly. "Just do it if you think its right." He knew that Calleigh was sometimes still unsure about what she was allowed to do with Ellie and what not; just like now. But he didn't want her to ask for his permission. If this relationship was going to work then only with both of them as equal partners.

Calleigh just nodded and grabbed the towel from a nearby chair. "It's time to get out of the water, Ellie," she told her. "We don't want you to look like a crumpled plum, right?" she laughed and wrapped the towel around the child. Then she lifted her out of the water and gave her a kiss on the nose. "You and mommy will get changed, since daddy thought it was nice making her wet." With that she gave him a hard look and rolled her eyes when he just smirked.

"And of course," she continued and stressed the 'of course', "without him, because our changing room is for girls only." Now it was her smirking, while he pulled a long face. "And this was my revenge, Handsome," she drawled and carried Elena into the house.

Horatio just watched them disappear and looked crestfallen. "Damn woman will be the death of me," he mumbled to himself and picked up the other towel. Calleigh could be really mean sometimes; he could only hope that Ellie wouldn't imitate that. Two women against one lonely man was cruel enough.

After toweling himself he closed the sunshade and smiled when he heard the girly giggle coming from the master bedroom that was right above the garden. There was nothing better in the world than his two girls being happy and he savored every single moment of it. He knew that they'd been through a lot and he was sure that there was still the one or other pothole on their road, but he knew that they would make it.

A twist of fate had given him a daughter and taken his wife away.

A twist of fate had brought Calleigh into his life and had given him a family.

Maybe…just maybe fate wasn't so bad after all.

**THE END**


End file.
